About us
At Boat Bike Tours, we do our utmost to offer each of the 18,000+ guests who travel with us every year their own, unique cycling cruise experience. We do this by providing well-defined routes, skilled and experienced tour leaders, tasty food, and wonderful service aboard our ships from our hospitable crews… Everything you could ever want and need for an amazing bike and barge holiday!
History
Our story started more than forty years ago with Channel Cruises Holland (CCH). The founder owned a few small barges, which he used to offer tours to groups of enthusiastic travelers. The word spread and so did his fleet; he soon had to hire ships from other operators. The business kept on expanding, and in 1995, Jan Timmermans took over the company.
In the 90s, more and more people started asking for typical Dutch activities. This was when the company began adding cycling to their holidays; a new concept that turned out to be so successful that CCH decided to launch a new brand for this activity: Boat Bike Tours (BBT). Boat Bike Tours soon arrived as a cycling cruise tour operator and a proud younger sister company of CCH.
BBT rapidly developed more tours, added more ships, developed a variety of cycling concepts, and increased marketing activities to make travelers from all over the world aware of this beautiful concept. In 2017, Eurosail Travel joined the family of companies – former owner Jossie Verkerk and her team of associated barge operators and owners fitted perfectly into the BBT concept.
In May 2024 Boat Bike Tours North America Inc. opened for business to bring our customer service to the guests in the United States of America and Canada to the next level. Our experienced and engaged staff based in Fairfield (CT) is ready for you. New bookings will be processed through BBT North America Inc. offering better local payment options (f.e. currency translation to USD at check-out).
Experience
Over the years, Boat Bike Tours has made tens of thousands of travelers happy on their bike and barge tours. With the help of our guests’ reviews, and feedback from our tour leaders and ships’ crews, we have developed new touring techniques and other fun excursions to make our cycling tours even more exciting, comfortable, and well-thought-out.
Team
Without our wonderful team, all of this could not have been possible! Our office team consists of the old guard and a bunch of fresh faces; in the last year, we were able to welcome six new employees. Add over 50 tour leaders and some 200 ship crew members, and they form a total team of 275+ excellent, enthusiastic, and hardworking people, each and every single one caring and committed to one goal: making sure that you have a fantastic boat bike tour.
It’s nice to meet you!
What we do
The name says it all: Boat Bike Tours stands for boats, bikes, and tours combining both. So, we offer cycling holidays with accommodation (and relaxation) on board a comfortable ship. But that is just the start: there are the places you visit, the people you meet, the excellent food and service aboard the boats, our experienced tour leaders, the detailed maps we provide, the (e-)bikes you can rent… Boat Bike Tours provides all of this. And you make the rest.
Benefits and charms
In 5, 8, 11 or 15 days – depending on the tour you pick – you’ll discover all there is to see in the beautiful regions along our routes. Traveling mostly by bike and by ship, but also on foot. The possible types of tour guidance and the intensity of the cycling routes will be indicated with icons on our website.
You’ll find your accommodation aboard a motorized barge or sailing ship, each offering well-equipped cabins with private bathrooms, a comfortable stay, and a different view every morning. There is a wide selection of cabin types, varying in comfort and extras. All of the ships offer good food (breakfast, a take-out lunch, and a three-course dinner), a well-stocked bar, and a wonderful crew.
