5 Star Tulip Tour - 8 day Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 189

My most memorable part of the trip was cycling through the tulip fields

Cycling in the country side. So beautiful. The excursions were enjoyable and all the history very informative.

The whole concept was wonderful, staying on this nice boat, Gandalf, with its lovely staff, going by bike through fields of tulips, visiting Keukenhof, meeting friendly Dutch people.

Definitely the guides & all of the crew were great. Both Alice & Thomas were brilliant & Sabrina was wonderful. Friendly, informative & helpful

The whole trip was laid out oerfectly. Staff was great especially our guide Alice!

Booking agent (Kirsten) was fabulous, guides and staff, fantastic and knowledgeable of all areas. Food was great, cabins, clean and good size. Bikes were in excellent condition. Loved the scenery, stops along the way — castle, gardens…
Guided walks in several locations at night after dinner was also a nice feature.

Great experience overall. Biking, guides, Captain and crew, shipmates!

The beautiful landscape and communities we road through as well as expert guides. The crew of the Iris and the amenities were amazing also.

I like the size of the group. The crew were hospitable. The food on the barge was delicious !

The staff on the boat were awesome. Friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable and willing to share their knowledge and tips. Staff were Marius (captain), Harm (bike guide), Barbara (chef), and Peter (assistant to all). Harm provided a map of the day’s plan at breakfast. The bikes were adjusted as needed. It was great seeing the country from the bike trails. Navigating through the cities was daunting but Harm got us all safely to the boat wherever it was docked. There was opportunity to explore in the evenings after dinner. Barbara is a most accomplished chef with an easy going manner and good humour. Dinners were much looked forward to! Dietary needs were accommodated. The large dining/lounge area was bright. There were 2 outdoor sitting areas, one with a hard roof. It was enjoyable to sit outside and enjoy conversation with the other passengers. There was always the option of staying on the barge for the day instead of biking. The only improvement I would suggest is more planned washroom stops. I would, without hesitation, recommend this trip.

A fantastic trip exploring the Netherlands - amazing tulips, windmills, sand dunes, canals…. The crew on the Iris were amazing and the meals were excellent. Thomas and Tim were great guides and we learned much about the country at each of our stops. Meeting others who enjoy cycling was a big part of the experience.

Loved visiting the tulip gardens. Food was delicious. Hospitality top notch. Guides very accommodating. High quality of bikes. The Iris is a great boat for this type of travel.

The crew and the guides did a wonderful job of making sure everything wonderful.
All of the extras that were included in our bike outing made the entire trip memorable. Encouraging everyone I know to take this trip. The absolutely perfect way to see The Netherlands!

The staff were so welcoming, food was great and the sights were amazing.

The trip was terrific!! We were on the IRIS that is 150% better than our last boat. The crew was terrific, the bike leaders were awesome and I believe they were so important in making the trip such a success. Of the 7 days of riding 1 day was totally in the rain and it was great, not that I wanted to get wet but the bike leqders were so prepared and positive. The other folks on the boat were terrific. And the flowers....mind boggling to say the least. I cannot recommend this trip strongly enough. The cabins were super clean, the showers were great (never ran out of hot water) and the food was good.

Loved the route, the food, the hospitality. We could be busy in the evening or be lazy. We were asked our opinion on the day's events.
One thing I might include from the guides is a few riding lessons on how to use an ebike. How to start from a stop. How to change gears. As a rider, I was doing that for all the inexperienced riders, but wondered if it was my place to do so.

The staff were very aware that people arrived with different skill levels and expectations and were able to accommodate everyone. They were flexible enough as things were not always predictable. Thomas was especially good at his job-very knowledgeable and a fountain of information on the Netherlands, especially any stops we made.

Cycling through the Netherlands with our wonderful guides was a great way to enjoy such a beautiful countryside. It was so nice each day to return to the Iris, welcomed aboard by an amazing crew followed by a delicious dinner each evening.

My husband & I had a fabulous bike & barge trip visiting the Netherlands. We enjoyed beautiful trails, amazing picturesque scenery and outstanding hospitality we experienced during our tour of the of the Netherlands. The Keukenhof was magnificent & definitely did not disappoint with its endless array of tulip & flower varieties. Just fabulous! My husband describes it as the "Disneyland of Tulips". We enjoyed creating new friendships with our fellow biking companions on the Iris. This was our third and I'd say our best bike & barge experience. I credit this extraordinary experience with not only the hard working staff of the Iris but with our superstar biking guides, Hetty & Maaike. These ladies are incredible! They set the tone and pace for the entire group & in doing so, created an environment of community versus competition. What a difference this made! Instead of regular biking folks trying to continuous keep up with the electric bikers, they were able to enjoy their biking day. We absolutely recommend biking & barging as it is the very best way to see and experience a country!
#1 tip: bring rain gear, waterproof, not water resistant a very important distinction! If it rains, as it did for us, being dry & staying dry is essential for your comfort! #2: don't over pack! Biking groups tend to dress very casually.

Beautiful countryside, saw so much beauty and the staff on the boat were lovely snd made us very comfortable.

Everything about our trip was fantastic. The bikes were brand new. The crew as superb. The food was excellent. The boat was delightful. Our fellow trip participants were a delight. We are so glad we chose to go on this trip.

All members of your team were top notch. Thank you for the beautiful memories!

I really enjoyed the Iris barge. First class barge with an attentive crew. The chef was amazing and created very good meals from a small onboard kitchen. The two guides were first-class. Great cycling routes in rural Netherlands. Lots of interesting stops and tulips galore. I would definitely book another tour aboard the Iris

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!!

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!

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 week on the Feniks was great! I really think the barge was undersold!. The wifi worked for all of our party of 4. The daily laundry was such a great thing. And the staff- the skipper, the first mate, the cook, the guide were so, so much fun! Really happy we took this tour.

This was our second bike and barge on this boat through tripsite. This time we brought friends, who said “one of my favorite vacations of all time”. We agree!
Cycling through rural north Holland was magical and we were fortunate to have great weather - not always guaranteed.
E-bikes were comfortable and safe, our guides Brian and Marianne were fun, knowledgeable and engaging.
Keukenhoff was packed with visitors, but we visited the smaller Hortis Bulborum and learned more about the beautiful tulips there.
Being in a small group on bikes allowed us to visit less-touristed sites, for example a working windmill Schermerhorn, Van Veen family cheese-making farm, and artist studio in Bilderdam.
The new Magnifique I was spacious, we had one of the new larger rooms. Food was varied, delicious, nutritious and plentiful.
Staff onboard led by Captain Walter became like family, helpful and responsive to everyone’s needs, including when one cyclist was injured in an unexpected fall. Bike safety was emphasized, single file especially in towns and mostly 80%+ on dedicated separate bike paths. Most of our group were couples, young seniors, some in their 80’s, and all were from english-speaking countries - all friendly and interesting folks.

I really enjoyed the trip, especially being able to ride a bike throughout Holland and see all the flowers and small towns.

This was my first bike and barge trip. Honestly, I haven't rode a bike in 25 years! Shame on me. I travel extensively, however I have never been on a trip like this previously. I would recommend this experience to anyone! Specifically, I believe Tripsite accounted for most of the pleasure. From the boat to the staff to the chef to the guides....everything was perfect and I can't wait to book my next trip with them. Tripsite took the STRESS out of planning and the caliber of accommodations were perfect. Thank you to everyone that made this memory possible!