Reviews

Fun tour and friendly crew provide a great journey in Netherlands.

The Saarburg to Koblenz boat bike trip was the second for my wife and me, since we enjoyed the first (a tulip tour in The Netherlands in April 2018) so much. This October 2019 trip included beautiful fall color along the river valley … both from trees and the vineyards. On our first trip (on the Sarah) we were on a smaller boat with 10 cabins, six of which were occupied by other people from the United States (like us). Much to our surprise, although the Patria is a much bigger boat with 33 cabins, we were the only Americans aboard … and we only speak English. However the other passengers (mainly German with some from Denmark, Sweden, and Australia) made us feel right at home. Good food, new friends, amazing views … we loved it. I suppose the best recommendation is that now we are looking to find another boat bike trip that will be as good!

Awesome trip. Terrific guides & crew and not to forget the other wonderful guests we enjoyed the trip with. This was our third Bike & Boat trip and all three were just as great! Looking forward to a fourth trip in the future.

We have been on one previous Bike and Boat tour (Amsterdam to Bruges) and we liked it so much we signed up for this tour. The biking was great that the MS Bordeaux was very comfortable. There were many more passengers on this trip, but we still got to make new friendships. My only comment is that Bike and Boat did not give us pre-departure information and in particular did not let us know how to download the bicycle route map on maps.me–I had too get all that information from another passenger. Unlike our other trip, there were no cultural, historic, or travel presentations about Bordeaux during the trip. I got all of my information for at Eye Witness Travel Guide.

The bike and boat trip from Bruges to Amsterdam was very successful for several reasons. The Gandolf is a good old boat driven very safely by his captain Hans, who, besides, is extremely kind. The script and distances were very well calibrated by the guide, Fred, an excellent and humorous guide, largely responsible for the cheerful atmosphere and much camaraderie among the tour participants. The crew, consisting of Silvia, housekeeper, Greta, leading the kitchen, Paulo, the sailor and the captain’s wife, were extremely competent and friendly. Despite a simple interior and no luxuries, the boat accommodated us very well. I would just suggest switching slightly heavier bike days to lighter days. And … repair the windows of the rooms that, although very charming, let a little water drip on the precious little shelf that serves to accommodate some of our belongings. In summary, a delicious trip!

We had an amazing time on the Bordeaux. The staff were very accommodating and provided exceptional friendly and professional service. The accommodation was reasonable (bit of a small cabin but sufficient and comfortable considering we were on a barge), the bike tour was lots of fun and the meals were plentiful and delicious. Alex (tour guide and wine expert) provided invaluable nightly insights and though our GPS was challenging to use (we chose self guiding), we were able to find our way around the various daily programmed excursions and sites.

The tour was wonderfull, the crew couldn’t be better! They really worked like a team! The food was delicious. A few points of attention: make just one walking-line during the breakfast buffet the life musician played all evenings the same repertoire, he could bring more variation in his music.

This was my third bike-barge vacation. I like the longer, 2 week trips. There is more time to make friendships. This boat, the Fleur, had the nicest bathrooms yet, with a separate glass shower enclosure rather than a curtain in the middle of the bathroom. Lots of big windows in the lounge and dining room to see the scenery. Quality step-through bikes in good repair. i liked the variety of cycling route options, with a nice mix of very easy paths and some hills. If you can cycle 25k at home, then you can do this trip!

First and foremost, the staff was terrific. Our guides remained calm throughout; even amidst the deluge of Tropical Storm Dorian. Their good humor and patience were much appreciated. The bikes are first rate. We used the eBikes. Outstanding. On board, the biggest surprise was the food. We expected beanie weenies and got 5 star dinners out of that tiny commissary. Thank you Bas and crew! Our suite was spacious and well appointed with comfortable beds. It didn’t feel much like a barge! All in all a great experience. One small thing, was the disembark day felt rushed. We were given a schedule, but felt we were being pushed ahead. I would say, set a schedule and honor it.

This was our first Boat Bike tour. We were pleasantly surprised at the coziness (105 guests vs 2000 guests on a major cruise ship). The dinners were consistently delicious and themed to the country we were passing through on the Danube River. There was also nightly entertainment. Our cabin (promenade deck) always had lots of hot water for showers after a day’s biking. However, we heard other cabins had water issues. The temperature in our cabin was always nice, not so for the cabins on the lower decks. Communication from the company helped us properly prepare for the tour. We were contacted days prior to the beginning of the trip advising us of a change in itinerary due to low water levels on the Danube. We were updated daily by the cruise director (Andrejas) regarding alternate biking and sight-seeing schedules. Prior to every bike tour, we were briefed on the route, weather conditions, areas of interest and topography challenges (hilly or flat). All the routes were approx 36-50 km which is manageable for novice to experienced bikers. We did not feel that we were physically taxed for endurance or time. The age range for the guests was between 50 to 70, and many took the option to rent e-bikes. This tour on the Theodore Korner was the last one of the season (Sept 28 – Oct 12); the weather was pleasant for biking and the height of the tourist season had passed which allowed us less crowded conditions. The vessel is in need of a thorough re-fit to update the cabins, appliances (toaster), and reception. Flying insects everywhere on the ship was annoying, especially in the dining area.