Belgium Bike Tour Reviews (page 3)
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★★★★★ Eileen Provost September 28, 2022Fantastic trip!
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique III (and reverse)
The crew, barge and guides were all top notch and the food was really good. Beautiful bike routes took us through lovely local scenery! Enjoyed walking tours in Antwerp and Bruges. Guides were super flexible and offered different options on a day with bad weather. Highly recommend!
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★★★★★ Amy Smith September 26, 2022Great way to explore Belgium!
· Highlights of Flanders: Belgium’s History, Art, Nature & Cuisine
We enjoyed this tour greatly. Peter Fos, who owns the company, welcomed us in Bruges and gave us great bikes for the week. The tour included a Garmin Oregon 700, which is necessary to follow the route's many turns and bridges. One thing we really enjoyed was that each day's route ended at our hotel, which has not been the case on other tours. We appreciated the opportunity to shorten a couple of days by train. Hotels were nice, especially in Mechelen and Hasselt. All were located near the city center - not always the case on other self-guided tours. Be sure to request the brewery tour of Het Anker - it was one of our favorite parts of the trip and others on the tour who had not previously booked were unable to purchase tickets (sold out). We chose this tour in early September, which was a blessing and curse. Temperatures were comfortable, but there were several days with rain, although not the full day.
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★★★★★ Roberta King September 25, 2022
A Splendid Ride
· Highlights of Flanders: Belgium’s History, Art, Nature & Cuisine
This was a great, straightforward ride across Belgium.
We arrived in Brugge a day early to enjoy the town and met with Peter to get our bikes and gear for the ride.The navigation tool (a GPS) proved to be problematic, it was quite small and for us to read as we ride and was hard to follow and the paper map provided was not detailed enough to use for navigation.
We picked up a local bike map in Ghent and then a map book in Antwerp. With the map book we ditched the GPS and designed our own route on Belgium’s super amazing cycling network.
The bike network in Belgium is fantastic and we ride on dedicated roads, two tracks and canals to the Netherlands.
The bikes were great, belt drives instead of chains, which took some getting used to, but were comfortable and easy to use.
The hotels were super charming , unique and for the most part easy to find with help from google maps. Breakfasts were excellent on all stops.
Memorable moment is taking our bikes down and up two escalators to ride the river tunnel into Antwerp, slightly terrifying as we’d never done that before (and hope to not repeat).
The terrain was mostly flat with a few hills on the last day. The towns are lovely and we had fun exploring them.
Highly recommend this adventure, but secure the maps or books before you go.
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★★★★★ David Reynolds September 14, 2022Met our expectations!
· · Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)
This was our first bike and Barge trip. We enjoyed all aspects of the journey from Perrone to Bruges except for the rain the last day of biking. The crew was excellent!e was an excellent cook and provided a variety of excellent meals. The captain Marius took good care of us as did Henk the first mate. Our guide Sietse was excellent. He enjoys history and was able to tell us many things about the history of the countries we traveled through.
The Feniks can accommodate 14 guests but during this trip there were only seven guests. This allowed us to make good friends and be able to stay together while we were biking. It would have been crowded if there had been 14 guests on board. -
★★★★★ Lynn Danford August 28, 2022Wonderful trip
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique IV (and reverse)
Terrific guides and a perfect mix of time in rural and urban areas. Enjoyed the beauty of the countryside plus some of the great cities of Europe. Surprised that so many in the group were using e-bikes. The frequency of rest stops was perfect. Food on the boat was excellent.
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★★★★★ Linda Vied August 28, 2022
My First Bike Trip
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique IV (and reverse)
This was my first bike trip and whilst i am not an "avid" cyclist i do consider myself to be a regular cyclist and having paid attention to some prior training i thought i would be OK to do this trip and keep up with everyone. However, i found the pace to be difficult and was unable to keep up with most of the group due to the fact that at least 50%/60% of them were riding E Bikes!!
This trip would have been more enjoyable for me if the group had been split between regular and E Bikers.
The boat was above expectations in every respect and the captain and crew were amazing and created a very comfortable, warm and inviting atmosphere. The chef is a wonder and served some truly wonderful dishes. I thought i would return from this trip having lost some weight but instead i have gained!!! -
★★★★★ Thomas Kruse August 4, 2022Wonderful boat and great memories
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique II (and reverse)
The boat and crew were terrific. The rides were really fun. We did not ride with the guides bu t the Ride with GPS worked really well. We thought the food was somewhat disappointing. Pretty unexciting. That's why 4 stars
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★★★★★ Lucille OShea August 4, 2022
Wonderful trip!!
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique II (and reverse)
We had an amazing time on our Amsterdam-Bruges Bike and Boat trip on the Magnifique II! The boat was very comfortable, the food was delicious, the staff was amazing, and the guides were terrific! It was a very unique way to see the Netherlands and Belgium. We will be back again!!
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium, Holland
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★★★★★ Jennifer Hinchman August 2, 2022Beautiful trip!
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Princesse Royal
Our guides were so knowledgeable and fun-as were the rest of the crew. We had a great week!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was our first
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium, Holland
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★★★★★ Eric12302 October 28, 2019
First biking vacation but won't be our last!
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Princesse Royal
This was our first biking vacation and what a wonderful time we had. The Magnifique 111 was a beautiful barge with all the amenities. The crew and guides were excellent. Thank you Bas, Ingeborg, Sigrid, Alexandra, Derk Jan, Marnik, Corrie and Wilmie. A special thanks to Corrie and Wilmie (our bike guides) who got up a 5:30 am on our last day to see us off and make sure our taxi showed up to take us to the airport. The meals on board were excellent as well as the service. The whole crew went above and beyond all week. The biking route was very scenic and was a route for beginners. It was mostly flat as described with a few inclines mostly going over bridges. Looking forward to another biking trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 10/5/2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium, Holland
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★★★★★ Densi October 14, 2019
Lovely bike trip
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Princesse Royal
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★★★★★ Mardi October 13, 2019
Magnifique II bike trip
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Princesse Royal
The staff and barge accommodations were excellent. Our chef prepared gourmet meals every night that were delicious. The bikes were very comfortable and easy to ride. It was a great way to see the countryside. We went from Amsterdam to Bruges and had a head wind most of the way. I might do the reverse trip if I had known. The staff went out of their way to make us comfortable. Couldn't have asked for a better trip!
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★★★★★ Razz October 12, 2019Bruge to Amsterdam by Bike & Boat
· · Bruges – Antwerp – Amsterdam by Bike and Boat
I loved seeing Belgium and Netherlands by the calm pace of the bike and barge. It was exciting to see and experience the cities, small towns and villages, countryside, canals, forests, and farms & communities where people lived. The barge was comfortable, staff was great and the food on the barge was fabulous. I would definitely consider another trip by bike and barge.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 21-28, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium, Holland
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★★★★★ Debby October 4, 2019
Great trip
· · Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)
This was the perfect way to see the countryside, small villages and historical sites of northeastern France and northwestern Belgium. The barge was very adequate and the staff on the barge was great. The daily biking was very manageable and fun. I would definitely like to find another bike and barge tour. Two weeks seemed the perfect length.
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★★★★★ Adele September 30, 2019fantastic trip, fantastic crew
· · Amsterdam – Gouda – Bruges by Bike and Boat
Wonderful crew and wonderful guide Winnie! Everything was as good as described on the website or better. The Anna Antal is a modest but very comfortable boat. Because the tour was small, all 17 passengers on board all got to know each other and the staff well as we traveled together for the week. Even though the crew was working together on this boat for the first time, they worked together as a great team and made us all feel so welcome and comfortable. And the food was fabulous for the entire week. We couldn't have had a better time! thank you!
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★★★★★ Cathy September 29, 2019
Fantastic trip with friends!
· · Amsterdam – Gouda – Bruges by Bike and Boat
What a way to see the country! Our guide Winny was fun knowledgeable and open to suggestions. The crew in the Anna Antal were excellent,helpful and participated in our evening conversations and fun. I also have to say that the cook Nicole gave us amazing food!! So enjoyed by all. We would highly recommend this trip, cycling was easy and sites were wonderful! Thankyou so much
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★★★★★ J1951 September 23, 2019
Bike & Barge Tour
· · Bruges – Antwerp – Amsterdam by Bike and Boat
My husband and I both had a great time on our tour. We biked from Brugge to Amsterdam. Our guide was knowledgeable, the food was fabulous and we enjoyed getting to know the other bikers as we traveled through beautiful country. We highly recommend.
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★★★★★ SandyPatti August 30, 2019
Great bike and boating trip!
· · Bruges – Antwerp – Amsterdam by Bike and Boat
Our guide Seitse was terrific - very knowledgeable about the areas and routes. The crew on board Sailing Home made us feel very welcome and the food was excellent. The riding was quite pleasant (very flat almost everywhere) such that we rarely turned on our ebikes. Overall, it was a great way to see parts of Belgium and the Netherlands.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug 17 - 24, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- This was the first one.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium, Holland
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★★★★★ Jeffy August 25, 2019
Exceeded expectations
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Princesse Royal
There are many things we discovered about both Belgium and Netherlands as a result of the excellent guides and crew.
Food - excellent and exceeded expectations
Guides were very good and navigated well. They also provided much info about the culture and history.
I believe Bruge to Amsterdam has more tail winds
The "barge" (Magnifique 2) is actually a well equipped ship.
The captain provided a few docking performances and the harbor cruise through Antwerp was fun.
More great memories highly recommended.
