Reviews

Beautiful, comfortable boat and great food and service. Our 4th boat/ bike trip, but first time with this boat and we are impressed.

The 8-day Tulip Premium trip on the Fleur was a wonderful blend of biking, cultural foods and adventures, and beautiful communities and countrysides. Every aspect was well thought out, and all staff were pleasant and super accommodating to our fellow travelers making this trip top-notch. Our guides, Edith and Michiel, were fantastic – they went way beyond my expectations. This would be one trip I would definitely repeat and do highly recommend for all. Even though the biking is easy, all levels of riders can enjoy it since there is so much to see and do.

We had a fabulous time aboard the Princess Royal from Amsterdam to Cochem. Everything from the crew and guides to the food to the cabins was top notch. Our chef prepared delicious 3 course meals and a variety of snacks each day from a tiny kitchen with flair and passion. Our guides led us on enjoyable and relaxed tours. The captains and crew managed the barge, housekeeping, and the bikes with care, and our bartender kept everyone in good spirits. We would make 2 suggestions: 1. A group of 26 is difficult to manage. By the time the caboose catches up to the engine, the engineer is ready to go and the caboose hasn’t heard anything that may have been said or had a chance to rest. Some people prefer a different pace. Some always ended up at the rear and others were always at the front. We’d recommend splitting the group. 2. The trail to Berg Eltz was muddy, slippery, and dangerous for some. We left our bikes at the trailhead which meant one of the guides had to remain with them. People arrived and departed at different times because of hiking ability. Due to timing, we missed the English tour. It’s very difficult to know the conditions beforehand. We’d suggest arranging for the group to take the shuttle from Moselkern to avoid all these issues.

The entire trip was very pleasurable – we would have liked the opportunity to stop at more local farmers/wineries

Safe caring guide. Amendments made to itinerary due to weather conditions.

Amazing trip! The boat, the guides, the crew, the bikes, the food-could not have been better! And the rides-wow! The scenery! Boat Bike Tours is 5 Star!

Our first trip with Boat Bike tours on the Southern Tour of Holland and we knew after being onboard ten minutes we would take another trip with the company. Every staff member was cheerful and helpful. The boat, bikes, the food all great. The bike routes were good variety and beautiful. We even went one rainy day and it was still great. A very stress free vacation as they take care of all the details. Gear up and go!

The barge accommodations and food were excellent and the entire crew went out of their way to insure we enjoyed the trip. It would have been better if our bike ride guide knew the route better because we got lost frequently and had to retrace our steps often in the pouring rain. I would have enjoyed a bit more historical context about some of the sights we saw but the routes were beautiful and the landscape stunning!

Over all, a good time. Biking distances were appropriate and mostly well marked, the food was plentiful and good. Points off for the following: 1. The wait staff was new and sometimes not attentive ( I frequently needed to get my own water/juice but was told by the manager that I could not do this; service did not improve). 2. Route briefings were a little hard to follow because the director interspersed travelogue info while giving directions. Better to give all route directions together, then sight seeing recommendations. Also, we were told of many attractive sights along the route, but then told to not spend much time at them to avoid being late to the boat. 3. Music in the lounge was too loud during afternoon snacks, which made conversation difficult. I had asked the lounge manager to ask the musician to lower the volume but he only did briefly. Very irritating and chased a few out of the lounge.

Loved the boat and crew. The route and sites were beautiful. However, the two guides put many riders at risk. On the first day the Group 1 leader had gotten us lost so many times that we actually had to turn around at least 8 times. I fell four times because I had to keep looking back and stop to make sure the back of the group knew where to turn because the guide was going to fast through the city. One friend was left behind in a city on the fifth day because neither of the guides did a count before leaving. Even after the incident and riders wanting to do a count, they did not do a count. Many problems with the guides; not acting as a team, not training each other, poor communication, stopping on bike paths, etc. I was very stressed out seeing that I was the one who coordinated 28 people to sign up. Several people fell and had bad experiences. But we also had so many great experiences. Riding to Amsterdam on the last day was awesome. On the last night we all bonded in relief and celebration that no one got seriously hurt. This was my fifth time doing a bike and barge trip. These guides were the worst.