Bike and Boat Tour Reviews page 35
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★★★★★ Annik Stahl
Could have been better
Provence by Bike and Boat
The tour leader (Helmut) was great, as was the boat crew. There were some fun times biking but the miles and miles of harsh gravel was not in the description of the trip. (This was not "country roads" -- this was ROCKS and my back ached for days afterward.) Had I know, I would not have chosen this trip as I just had surgery. I found the food to be absolutely awful. The dinners were beond strange and hey, maybe something besides HAM HAM HAM every day for lunch? I lost 4 pounds during that trip.
While I know there are some great trips to be had with this company (my dad has been on several and said this one was the worst). this was not one of them. Like I said, some fun time biking but not enough to recommend this trip.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Labia
Glad we did it - but too hot in August
National Parks of Dalmatia by Bike/E-bike and Boat
This is our third bike tour. The boat was much nicer than others we have been on. The cabins were very large and a good size bathroom. The food was good (not great). It was nice to have two tour guides. The downside was that it was really hot and the sun too blazing to enjoy the bike rides a lot. The landscape I would also say is a bit repetitive. All in all I wish we could have done it some weeks later with fewer crowds in town and especially cooler weather.
- What was the date of your tour?
- 18 August
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
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★★★★★ Bean
Beautiful Area - Terrible Bikes
Provence by Bike and Boat
Great way to see Provence, but the bikes were really really heavy and the guide was not very good.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept 28-Oct 5
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Allison
Beautiful Landscapes
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
We had a lot of fun on the e-bikes. It was a fantastic way to see the countryside. The boat was not luxurious, but would be considered adequate. We did not like the Cruise Director. He was more interested in being right about things than he was in pleasing his guests.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2026
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- 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?
- Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia
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★★★★★ Water Bound
Disappointed
Mosel & Saar by Bike & Boat
- What was the date of your tour?
- 9/1-9/7/18
- How many tours have you completed?
- -1- before this one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Germany
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★★★★★ Bernadette
NOT QUITE AS EXPECTED
Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique III (and reverse)
If you are expecting a leisurely bike ride along a well-marked path, plenty of time to stop for pictures and sightseeing, you will probably be disappointed. The route is not a dedicated, clearly-marked bike path along the river from Bruges to Brussels. It is so long and convoluted that even a guide got lost — twice.
Participants who don’t pay extra for a guided tour are provided a GPS app to navigate the route. Those accustomed to using GPS did o.k. We got lost right away. The GPS wasn’t much help since the signal was weak. We made it to the first town on the route where we ran into the guided tour group and decided to follow them. Some of the group members said the guide had gotten lost before we met up with them. She got lost again after we joined them. A 30-mile bike ride turned into a 55-mile ride after all the back tracking. Batteries on most of the e-bikes expired. One rider was so exhausted that she collapsed on the side of the road. We went past historic windmills, but the guide said little or nothing about them.
On another day, a different guide (after the previous incident, the trip became a guided tour for all), took us speedily through rugged, forested terrain that was more suitable for a mountain bike. It was all we could do to keep up, even though most participants rode their own bikes regularly at home. The route also included short stretches through busy, urban areas.
During the trip, there were numerous spills and a few non-incapacitating injuries. One person had bloody scrapes on her leg, which a passing good Samaritan bandaged. One scraped and bruised rider was possibly saved from a concussion by her helmet. While regular bikes are also available, E-bikes are heavy and harder to balance, especially on take-off.
The boat portion of the trip was much more enjoyable. The boat literally glided down the canal. The rooms were spotless and the crew friendly and courteous. The chef, who announced each night’s offering in a charming way, prepared meals on par with an upscale restaurant. That salvaged what otherwise would have been a rough ride.
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★★★★★ Linda Cooper
Made the most of being stuck at the dock.
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
An act of nature meant that the boat never left the dock. The company made a point to provide activities and bike routes for 7 days in Vienna. Bike Tours was non existent when it came to communicating the changing conditions before the tour started.
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★★★★★ Linda Ewing
Provence Bike Trip into the Countryside
Provence by Bike and Boat
Really enjoyed the bike trip through the Provence countryside which visited several picturesque towns along the way. Our guide Alex was wonderful; she had done her homework so was able to provide us the history of what we were seeing. Plus Alex was great fun and made sure everyone was safe and comfortable while riding. Barge on-board staff was also super responsive and friendly. All the local staff was excellent!
My only criticism of the trip is the business model used by the barge company. The 'Caprice' boat itself is 'past its prime' --- old, really cramped room accommodations. We were unlucky and assigned what appeared to be the smallest double twin room that didn't even have space for the tiniest sink in the bathroom (it was installed next to my bed's pillow). In fact, all the rooms were smaller than on other barge boats I've been on. Also, the dining area was so tight you couldn't get out of your chair without your neighbor also moving. Bottomline, the company owners are squeezing too many people on the boat so they get more revenue.
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 15 - 22, 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ timothy mcfarren
Cruise not my thing
Danube Discovery: Bike and Boat through Enchanting Capitals
Too much time on boat, not enough time exploring on land. Would have liked more time to be able to see the sights.
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★★★★★ Mary Gallagher
Great biking - barge was ok
Provence by Bike and Boat
Biking in Provence was outstanding- but the cabin we stayed in (Cabin 1) was not satisfactory. Crew we’re great and tour leader was knowledgeable and experienced. Unfortunate about our accommodations.
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
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★★★★★ Mary Gallagher
Disappointing Accommodations
Provence by Bike and Boat
Recently returned from Provence bike and barge and very disappointed with cabin accommodations. Bathroom sink located in main cabin from which we heard gurgling and draining from other cabins. Also heard loud banging from floor probably due to mechanical issues due to location of cabin - farthest on the bow. Overall not suitable for guests. Crew, guide and food were great- but cabin (#1) was not acceptable.
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
-
★★★★★ Ginny50
Neckar & Rhine Rivers by Bike and Boat
This was an enjoyable bike/boat tour. The crew and staff were very nice. The riding days were usually short and manageable. The rainy weather was an issue which made for slippery riding on cobblestones. Due to the rains the Neckar River was closed and our ship was diverted. The company handled the diversion to the best of their ability and these detoured riding days were okay. We ended up in the town of Speyer, which was our favorite stop of the entire tour. One major complaint was the rooms on the ship were very small. They did state that in the promotional information, but we were not expecting that tiny. Everyone complained about the tiny rooms. We just laughed and dealt with it but it did make for close quarters. If you travel in May bring rain gear!
- What was the date of your tour?
- May/June 2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- 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?
- Germany
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★★★★★ PAULINE MOENCH
TRIP OF DREAMS THAT FELL FAR SHORT
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Not much to say here since our boat never left the dock. Our host, Lesley, was a peach and completely competent. If not for him, we would have left on day two. My biggest disappointment was only having bus tours to Budapest and Bratislava. I would have appreciated a little creativity added in to take us to a couple more places. The tour people were awful with their communication, telling us for three days in a row that we might leave when we knew we were going nowhere. The crew was great, the food was not the greatest, but no complaints. I have a special diet that they were over the top accommodating of. You drastically need to improve your beverage packages—not enough provided for the $$$ we paid up front. 498 euros for the two of us when we wound up spending most of our day off the boat was out of line. If we had been cycling every day, I would not have purchased a package, considering you did not include what are everyday cocktails in the USA, like Manhattans.
For the rooms, rather than having that dopey pull-out at the end of the bed, leave that area under the bed open for luggage storage. Also, get rid of the carpet. Beds were very comfortable. We would have liked to have left our sliding door open a bit. Some kind of stop at the base so they can be open six or eight inches would have been appreciated. I’m sure the daily bike routes would have been great if we had been able to utilize them.
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★★★★★ Janet Fraser
How a tour guide can ruin what could have been a great experience
Provence by Bike and Boat
While the cycling was good, scenery lovely, other passengers and crew delightful, the irritatingly arrogant sexist and intrusive behaviours by our tour guide (Heim) who claimed to have built the company, put a huge damper on the trip for many of us. Although we enjoyed the bikes, the meal times were chaos due to too many passengers in too small a space. Also the general condition of the boat, Caprice, needs improvement.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Aug, Sept 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- France
-
★★★★★ JEC65
A different biking experience
Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)
Thirteen days of easy to moderate biking. The crew were friendly and helpful. The food was excellent! Lots of extra sightseeing excursions to choose from. Very old boat with very small cabins was the only drawback but price was reasonable.Generally the routes were on quiet roads on all types of surfaces.
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★★★★★ John Cooley
Great trip---but could have been better
Coastal Islands of Southern Dalmatia
This was a great trip, however the lead guide was difficult to get along with ---the second guide was new and fantastic. The lead guide was overly strict and a bit condescending. We did not bike one of the days because he decided since there was rain we would not cycle. That was VERY disappointing. I was on a boat bike trip in Belgium and Netherlands and we biked rain or shine. The time we started biking was a bit late too-----it did not leave much time for for activities after biking.
The saving grace for the trip was the staff was fantastic on the Yolo.
One additional note is that this should be E-bike only....there is no way for a regular bike to keep up with ebikes on the terrain on this trip. One of the passengers insisted on riding a regular bike and on two separate days had to switch bikes with the guide in the rear so he could make it. He should have been told to switch to an ebike by the guides.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Croatia
-
★★★★★ Kelly Kimbler
Fun with friends
Holland’s Super Tulip Tour
The weather was not great so we had to roll with it. For it being a super tulip tour I thought we see more tulip farms and maybe visit one to see the inner workings of how tulips are produced and sold.
Our guide was trying hard but with a group the size of ours I’m sure that was difficult. I think it was her first time doing the super tulip tour. We missed both the flower market and the cheese market from them being closed on the days we were there. I think the cost of admission into keukenhof should have been included instead of us each having to buy ours individually online the night before. The flower parade was a nice bonus since we didn’t get to see the flower parade.
The food was good. The accommodations were basic but clean.- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
-
★★★★★ Kelly Kimbler
Fun with friends
Holland’s Super Tulip Tour
The weather was not great so we had to roll with it. For it being a super tulip tour I thought we see more tulip farms and maybe visit one to see the inner workings of how tulips are produced and sold.
Our guide was trying hard but with a group the size of ours I’m sure that was difficult. I think it was her first time doing the super tulip tour. We missed both the flower market and the cheese market from them being closed on the days we were there. I think the cost of admission into keukenhof should have been included instead of us each having to buy ours individually online the night before. The flower parade was a nice bonus since we didn’t get to see the flower parade.
The food was good. The accommodations were basic but clean.- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Holland
-
★★★★★ James Hutcherson
Flood of decades
Danube Delights: Biking through Four Countries
Can’t change the weather. Boat crew and food was excellent. Everyone tried their best to make the trip as good as they could. Kudos to all involved. Bikes were excellent and well maintained.
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