Reviews

The Boat and Bike program from Cochem to Metz exceeded our expectations. The crew was exceptional in providing personal service and attention to detail in all aspects of the program: the excellent food and gracious dining experience, the attention to cabin cleaning and creating a comfortable and clean environment throughout the boat, and just the helpful attitude whenever we had questions or needed anything. Our host, Anna, was on her first Boat and Bike trip as staff and was fabulous – she was always keeping an eye on everyone’s needs at meals and was always available at the bar; she also worked very well with our boat captain, cook and the rest of the crew. Emma, assisting Anna with housekeeping, was also gracious and attentive and did a super job cleaning and sprucing up our cabin while we were out riding during the day. In fact, the entire staff worked great together as a team! Out trip leaders Marianne and Hans were competent in all facets of the cycling experience and guiding us through the daily itinerary. I was impressed with their knowledge of the history, culture and key sites of interest in each of the places we visited along the journey. Marianne was especially outstanding in this regard. I would enthusiastically recommend each of them to prospective participants. A couple of recommendations: #1: Include during the orientation at the beginning of the trip an introductory exercise: Ask each person to state their name and where they are from. Keep it simple and quick. This should take no more than 10-12 minutes for a group of 32. Then ask the group at large if any have been on a previous Boat and Bike program and where it took place. This will allow newbies to know whom they might approach with questions or for information. #2: Don’t allow cyclists to ride across bridges on sidewalks at or above the street level while facing opposing vehicle traffic. There were two occasions when this occurred and I didn’t feel that this was sound safety protocol. Also, more explanation of what to expect at roundabouts, how to navigate them and who has right of way would have been helpful. In summary, we had a great experience with this high-quality company and will have wonderful memories for years to come. Thank you!

The tour guides and boat staff were great. However, the boat was very understaffed. Some evenings it took almost two hours to receive dinner. Every night except the very last night they served the same side of the dining room first, meaning our side (English speaking side) had a long wait even to get a glass of wine. The food could definitely have been better, especially for non-red meat eating guests. The dining area and lounge were both very warm, despite the air being pretty cool out. Is there no air conditioning. Despite that, the boat was nice, especially our cabin.

The choice of trail we rode our bikes on was Amsterdam to Bruges..So beautiful, easy to ride along flat land..My ebike made it even better.. The dining/bar staff were very professional. The tour guides Hugo/Anja were absolutely wonderful. The rooms need a face lift..My bed was very comfortable

In the past I have always planned my entire trip. I was reluctant to do otherwise this time. I was very pleasantly surprised. Our trip was very well organized (bikes, clean rooms,..) The food was excellent. All the staff and crew were very friendly and responsive to our needs. The cruise director, Leslie, was outstanding. He had special events like pirates and 70’s/80’s nights. When we do a cruise with you again, it would be nice to have Leslie himself or a clone as our cruise director. I was planning to call you with this feedback and I might still do that.

Great views. Great people.

Wonderful time!

This was a great experience. The crew was exceptional and the boat was beautiful. And it was such a nice size group of passengers too. We got to meet some really wonderful people from all over the world, while enjoying beautiful sites in Germany, Luxembourg and France!

Barge clean and a happy place! Vacation with family great. Leaders very nice and knowledgeable. July 2023. Bicycles very good! Routes good. Maps need work. Confusing but they worked! Meal offerings scarce for vegans. We knew this ahead but would hesitate to book again without vegan option. Would like non smoking barge in future. Cigar and cigarette smoke drifted everywhere via vents and windows.

Loved almost everything about this trip. We visited charming places and appreciated the late afternoon briefings which explained the cycling options and choices of itineraries for the following day. Our “suite” cabin was well designed and only a small premium for the extra space over the smaller regular upper or lower. Be aware that Boat Bike Tours does not own its vessels and the only Boat Bike employees were the excellent multilingual Dutch guides who went above and beyond to ensure everyone had a wonderful experience. All other staff are contracted employees. The front desk managers were pleasant and very professional. The dining room servers were mostly Romanian and Bulgarian who did their best in a very tight area. The food quality and variety was very good, but the servers were not able to circle around the tables due to lack of space, so they had to reach across our table companions to pass and collect plates. This really detracted from the dining experience, especially at dinner when all guests had to eat at the same time. The buffet breakfast set-up was more staggered, but most guests had to weave around tables and almost the entire dining room to get to their assigned seats. The dining room could not comfortably accommodate the number of passengers on the boat, which was our only complaint. Plenty of people caught coughs and colds as a result of the very close proximity.

This trip was the perfect combination of top quality accommodation and food along with physical fun with biking throughout the land.