Reviews

Small number of co-travelers (30) so I got to know most everyone. The staff was great – helpful, friendly. The guides were informative and helped me get the most out of the trip. Great balance between enjoying the rural scenery and the rich history at the city stops. My husband and I were actually emotional the day we disembarked because it was such a meaningful experience for us.

Our stay on the boat was very comfortable and the food was good. I enjoyed the bicycle rides with a guide. Peter made the touring interesting and fun.

This trip was a wonderful way to see parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. Every day offered new scenery, with rides through small towns, farmland, and even into a couple of the larger cities. Quite often it felt like we were riding through a fairytale.

It was a perfect way to see parts of Europe that most tourists normally wouldn’t see, but without having to pack and unpack a suitcase everyday!

The boat itself was modern with cabins that were more comfortable than expected for a barge. They were cleaned daily and all the common areas were well maintained and set up well for socializing. We typically sail on the cruise ships, but have also cycled with other land tours. As such, we thought this would be a nice mix of the two and weren’t disappointed.

The meals were a highlight as the chef prepared fresh, creative dishes that made each dinner something to look forward to. The crew worked hard to keep everything running smoothly, and the guides were attentive, making sure the rides were well paced and that everyone could enjoy them at their own level. Both Peter and Franklin were fun to spend time with and were very knowledgeable of the places visited. They showed great pride in the areas they were from which added to the trip.

Some in our group were new to longer cycling trips and had some reservations before booking, but the bikes were easy to handle and they had no problems with the routes or mileage. The frequent stops at little cafes, cheese farms, castles and such, made the days go by fast. We all opted for the E-bike upgrade as we were a group of 8 and wanted to be consistent. This was a good decision.

Boat Bike Tours was great to book through and we strongly recommend them. The process was simple and communication was clear and prompt from booking to sailing.

Overall it was the right balance of activity and comfort, and a unique way to explore. If you’ve ever thought about trying a bike and barge trip, we would highly recommend it. You will get to see much more than you would from a bus or a car, and you get the fun of returning to a welcoming boat at the end of each day… with a fully stocked bar and new friends to swap stories with.

We definitely hope to do it again one day!

This was our first international trip and our first trip with boat Bike Tours. They exceeded all of our expectations. We had a wonderful time. The crew was fabulous. The boat/rooms were spectacularly clean. Can’t say good enough good things. We are making plans to do another tour with Boat Bike Tours in the future.

Experienced, entertaining guides.
Bikes were great and worked well.
The daily rides were perfect for distance and routes.
The panniers were a real benefit, especially when we needed to pack rain gear and warm clothes.

The ship was great as were the crew.
Only complaint concerning ship was the food.
I little variation in the breakfast and lunch items would be welcomed as they same thing get a bit tired for all the days. The dinner main courses were ok, with the bbq being a standout. The 1st courses were to hi-end for this type of trip. More traditional soup/salads would be more acceptable top the customers.

As for the biking experience, I was disappointed in the guides not being as organized with stops and structure. More stops and more sights to stop at would be better. The first day was to long (66 km), and when advertised as short and long options for each day and this was only offered once, and not on the 66 km day. Of real concern was that on our trip there was only 5 or 6 people on standard bikes. The guides did not account for this and since they were on e-bikes the based the pace on e-bikes. With the high wind head winds this was very difficult. They would stop and allow for the slower riders to catch up, but as soon as they arrived, the guides would say time to go. So the slower riders did not get a break.
If you allow standard bikes, then the guides should be on standard bike. Otherwise, change to e-bike only.

Obviously the route is the best thing about the trip. Bruges and Ghent were highlights but the countryside was also spectacular in places.
The accommodation was first rate; we had a main floor cabin.
The bikes were solid upright bikes with a step thru. Possibly not the best in the wind but they appeared well maintained.
With some exceptions the food was okay. They did cater to dietary concerns. Two of the meals are vegetarian. Breakfast was good with eggs every day plus a variety of cereals, pastries and fruit. Bread, meat, cheese and fruit are provided for a bag lunch on the road.
Ride with GPS instructions were included and for the most part were accurate. The staff also provided route guides using the numbering system popular in The Netherlands and Belgium. These directions occasionally and on one day totally deviated from the RWGPS instructions. Be aware of this.
The ride is not supported. 2 guides are riding the route but one is supporting riders who paid extra for for a guided tour. One guide acts as a sweep and can be contacted for bike and route problems by WhatsAp so make sure you have a data plan. As far as I know you cannot reboard the boat until it docks at the end of day so plan for this.
My advice for the days riding to Ghent and Bruges is to make a sprint to get to these cities early so you can spend more time there. Likewise on the day you start in Antwerp, take an hour or so to explore the city. Other days you can dawdle along way.

Overall, trip was very good. The meals were great, our accommodations (we bought the superior one with sliding door) were very nice and trip was well planned. I would have liked a herbal tea before bed, but no tea, coffee or other drinks (other than alcohol) were offered in the evenings.
One significant improvement might be to offer another English television channel other than CNN. We are not all fans of America news! Maybe even consider one movie night? Perhaps a good German movie with English subtitles?

Really enjoyed our bike and barge tour from Amsterdam to Bruges. The e-bikes were a must. Super easy to use and made for an enjoyable experience. The food on the boat was amazing. We enjoyed all of it. Tour staff very friendly and helpful. Going during the end of the season found a lot of the cafes on route were not open. It is helpful if you are use to using gps on your phone. Would definitely go on another bike and barge trip.

The staff were friendly and worked hard to accommodate the whole group. The food was fantastic. The tour guides were receptive and tried their best to accommodate all.
I was disappointed we never got a chance to say goodbye to the captain the last night of our trip.