South Holland Tour Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 95

Cycling around a beautiful country. Seeing historic cities and understanding how the Dutch overcame the sea and car centric horrors.

The trip was a wonderful journey through several amazing Dutch towns. The riding was as advertised through beautiful countryside and towns. The barge, while having a few small mechanical issues, was a good home for the week. The crew was friendly and accommodating. Lukas, the chef, provided exception al meals enjoyed by all.

I look forward to my next adventure.

The scenery and ease of biking through the Netherlands were wonderful. I loved cycling past windmills, canals and wildlife. I loved cycling through marshes and small towns and cities. I loved experiencing bike ferries and bike parking garages.
The tour guides were fun and very helpful. The boat crew was also helpful and worked hard to help us in any way they could. The food was good and the boat was clean and very comfortable.

Biking through the national tune forest was the best part for me. But it was all lovely. Except for the discrepancies between the written map and the GPS phone map it was very nice. The food was plentiful.

We were a group of 4 friends doing a bike barge for the first time. Wisely we were offered a good deal and coaching for electric assist bikes and that did help make for an enjoyable experience. We also opted for suites and those were excellent. Such efficient bathrooms and plenty of storage. Nice decor and lighting. Internet spotting so used my phone as a hot spot.
Our one trip leader was extremely helpful - especially in guiding us thru some tricky parts of the route. The other was delightful in her presentations, but was a bit hard to understand and seemed to leave out some crucial information - especially on what routes or areas were very crowded for biking. My partner opted out of riding a few days because the 2nd day was so difficult for him. I found as we went along our skills increased and we understood the navigation better. I also was able to Google the bike computer to learn more about its operation and how to connect it to the map mileage. That was not explained in the beginning.
The crew: Not nearly as friendly as I had expected. They did seem to warm up to a large group of party girls by the end and maybe us too, but smiles and friendly greetings were lacking except for 1 or 2. My partner and I had come from the Cotswalds prior and everyone was just extremely friendly and helpful - so that made the contrast more evident. It just shows when people don't love their jobs.
I had also expected to meet more passengers, but that was a bit of a hurdle because of the different languages. I was glad we had a group of 4.
We were blessed with some great (but hot) weather and overall had a wonderful experience. Food was good and deserts were great. If done again we would pay more attention to not biking in cities if possible.

The beautiful scenery,quietness of the nice small towns and the countryside's beautiful landscape visiting nice protected areas such as parks was enjoyable . The houses in the small towns are all well kept and clean. The free time given to us. The tour guides were great and knew the area very well.
They were able to give great information at the briefing sessions every evenings to all participants in regards of the following day tour. My wife and I were very much satisfied in regards of the quality of the bikes.

Holland is a beautiful country with amazing farmlands, and darling villages, all set with a back drop of amazing canals and waterways and bike paths. We used big ferries to cross canals, we used small little bike ferries for smaller canals. We met so many warm and welcoming people and ate at quaint cafes on the water, and outdoor restaurants in the cities. It was a truly magical experience.
The boat, the Normandie, was a beautiful boat with a large sundeck and outdoor area in the shade. It had a lovely salon, an extensive bar, and great meals. The staff was friendly and helpful with with the bikes and the rides every day, and the meals and any needs on the boat.

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.

rain otherwise ok.
cabin is n the boat . even after several requests the AC was not fixed . it was very uncomfortable. I was actually berated that I opened the sliding doors in order to try to get some cooler air inside. in retrospect I should have taken my pillow and sleep in the lobby.

Very well organized. Friendly and attentive staff. My brother and I had such a great time. The weather was mostly great, and even when it rained on us, it didn't matter. We were weather-proofed and active, so kept warm. We got a little tired mid-week, after doing 40 mile rides, so were thinking that planning an easier day mid-week or doing something else off-bike would help with the muscle recovery. We rode regular bikes, so the e-bike people may not have the same comment. You are always welcome to stay on the boat or do the shorter routes, but we wanted to see it all!

One inconvenience with the trip is when you could and couldn't use credit cards on the boat. It was inconsistent. We found ourselves short of Euros because they wouldn't accept credit cards when my brother wanted to rent an e-bike for a couple days . . . but you could use your credit card to buy drink cards! Go figure.

We really enjoyed our cycling adventure in South Holland however, what was not mentioned was that the entire boat; staff and guests spoke German. This was not in the information that I read when booking this adventure. We did not understand the people at our table nor when we were cycling. The itinerary said the trip was September 21-29, so I was surprised when our trip was over on the 28th. I then needed to secure a hotel room that evening. Finally, I booked a room on the upper floor to have a view of the water and a window that opened. I did not read anywhere that the boat was in port each evening and I paid a premium to look at people sitting on a bench. We did not open the curtains or window for this very reason. I do feel that I should be reimbursed the extra fee that was charged for being on the upper floor.
Our guide Wolfgang tried his best to help us in English but he was difficult to understand. The food was great, and having coffee and cakes when we arrived back each day was fabulous.

The ease of booking, hospitality of the boat crews, well furnished boat (room, restaurant, lounge), scenic route, & most importantly, accurate offline RIDE-GPS

Great canal cruise to many historic cities….study up on thèse before thé start of thé trip.

It was well organized. Ari was excellent as were the rest of the staff. We really enjoyed cycling in the outskirts of cities and stopping for coffee in small villages

In spite of rain and hail storms and being drenched most days while biking, it was FANTASTIC. The bike tours/itineraries were great (the app had some glitches but we figured it out). I didn't love the timeline to have to be back by 5 for briefing. I would have enjoyed longer days (aside from when the ship had to sail, that I understand). The other issue, and from what I heard from staff having other complaints as such, is the lack of water, coffee and tea not being available most of the day. If we didn't make it back in time for the afternoon snack, they pulled everything, then there was nothing hot to warm up with (especially being soaking wet), then you had to wait until 4 for the bar to open and then you had to pay for coffee/water. Does not seem unreasonable to have a pot of coffee and hot water readily available all day. Not sure if it's a common occurrence, the the lower decks hallways smelled horribly of sewer. I know they had a plumbing issue the day we boarded, so maybe it was related to that.

We had a wonderful time on this very active vacation. I most enjoyed seeing Dutch country life in a relaxed and independent way. We did face many challenges on this trip as the three of us in our group were the only English speakers. The trip leader debriefed us separately each evening but I feel we missed out on a lot of the information that the German speakers received in their debriefing later. We weren't given an orientation on how to use the e-bikes and had to figure that out on our own. We also weren't given an orientation for the boat the first night as it was given all in German and we had to figure out where everything was on our own as well. While everyone on the boat was very cordial I felt like a burden because I didn't speak German and was excluded from the larger group because of it. The maps and route descriptions were difficult to follow and it took all three of us to find our way each day. One of us needed to have the app open (my phone wasn't working so the app was useless to me), one of us had the map and the other used the route description. We frequently missed junctions and turns either because the sign was down or the route wasn't explained in enough detail. Riding in the cities was the most difficult. The app often contradicted the route description and the map. When we asked the trip leaders about it at the end of the day we were given the impression that we just didn't follow it correctly. I'm wondering if the debriefings had been better the night before that maybe we wouldn't have had so many issues.

The scenery was lovely! We enjoyed our active vacation - we self guided our biking days & between the maps, app, & instructions from our guide beforehand we didn’t get too lost. The staff of the Normandie was amazing!

Organization of the trip and the quality of crew and colleagues south holland is terrific cycling the bikes were of high standard

Great trip the tour could use a rundown on the operation of the e-bikes. Bikes were great but a rundown on removal and locking the bike needed to be done. Seat adjustment needs to be covered as well. Crew was great just more time for the operation of e-bikes is needed

Riding an E-Bike for the first time was super comfortable. Easy to operate and the 'Ride with GPS' made it simple and slick to cruise the Holland countryside. Also very much enjoyed the boat rides through the canals...

As our trip leader was well aware, I preferred the scenic countryside to the hectic intersections of the bigger cities. Though I was glad to see Leiden, Haarlem and Delft, it is a consideration when picking a tour. Crew was great and the meals surpassed expectations!

We were dissatisfied with the fit of the bikes. Care was not taken to size the bike to the rider and several of our members dealt with bikes too big for them - a safety issue! Also, my nephew had to trade seats with me to make my ride much more comfortable - that left him with a less desirable seat - those options should be the responsibility of the tour company and back up equipment should be available on site.

The dinners and the beautiful countryside.

The crew, the lodgings, and the bikes were fabulous. Breakfasts were good… dinners took two hours every evening ~ which was a bit long. The food was… interesting. Soup really bad a couple times, and seemed rather understaffed as far as getting beverages. Also the wording of the afternoon beverages misleading. It sounded as though coffee and tea would be available all day until 4:00, but that is incorrect. Coffee and tea were available free from approximately 3:00-4:00 only. After that, everything costs. All in all a very enjoyable experience. Nico in particular was great, arranging the rides. Weren’t able to dock at the two northern towns of Haarlem or Zaandam because of engine trouble, but made the best of it, staying in Amsterdam and riding out of there instead.

Getting to see so much of the Green Heart of Holland. However, incompetent dining room staff making me late for outings, insufficient/late availability of food for packing lunches, one guide leaving mid-trip, broken down barge meaning loss of 2 days of itinerary and then overloaded internet making us unable to download alternative routes, maid skipping our room first day - all made this a memorable trip as well, but not in a good way

The scenery was beautiful. I was disappointed that I had to miss the last two days of the biking tour because the ship had engine trouble and had to go back to Amsterdam for repairs.

Riding through the countrysides of the Netherlands was on my bucket list and it did not disappoint! The incredible beauty of the wetland areas and the diversity of bird life far exceeded my expectations!

I must sing praises for our tour leader Nico! He was always there when we needed him! Are there more than one of him?

Watching the De Amsterdam crew one day sail the boat through the canals is a must! It was a peak part of my trip watching them maneuver sideways and make the turns ! Such incredible scenery and seeing the huge variety of boats and vessels was outstanding!

Although my South Holland Tour was canceled and rerouted to North Holland, it was lovely. The tour guides, captain & staff were terrific and despite weather related complications, made the trip memorable. I will definitely be doing another - hopefully the Southern route...

The beautiful scenery, wonderful camaraderie, and helpful guides made this a remarkable and enjoyable experience. For those not comfortable cycling who might be traveling with an experienced cycling partner, I highly recommend an e-bike. It took all of the stress away for both is us!

This was my third Tripsite Barge Biking Trip and as good as ever again.
Highly recommended.
Excellent guide who ensured that everybody was happy.
Despite the large age difference from10-92 years, the group of 18 pax jelled well together.
A trip that combines nature, culture,exercise, education and relaxation in a most balanced holiday that one could wish for.

Although we enjoyed the trip, there is no one thing that stands out as the most memorable. However, there are some things that need improvement:
- The food. This was a top-rated boat but some of the food was sub-par. For instance, you do not serve vegetables from a can!
- Having electric bikes and regular bikes in the same guided groups is a mistake. The regular bikes do not have a chance and the pace keeps getting quicker and quicker, pushing the ordinary bikes aside. There should be separate guides for the two types of bikes.
- Riding through the cities was terrifying, particularly in The Netherlands where everyone rides bikes. We have been on another boat/bike tour down the Danube (with RadReisen) and our tours of the cities were by bus with riding only on the fringes. It was much safer and you saw and learned about so much more.