Reviews

Our guide Frans was amazing. We loved that the tours were all organized and led for us.

Tour guide bike leader Frans was excellent. Nice disposition and also very informative. Laundry options were lacking. Dinners were well prepared. Hot breakfast such as oatmeal would have been nice. Perhaps earlier dinners would afford more time to explore villages in the evening. Captain and crew very good and responsive.

My first bike tour and it exceeded my expectations. We did the Green heart of Holland tour on the Gandalf. The crew were super friendly and very knowledgeable about local areas and NL in general. Food on board the ship was excellent, plentiful and varied. The bikes were easy to ride and saddle was comfy.

My experience was excellent except for the speaking locks. Not necessary. Otherwise, excellent staff, food, service and tour guiding. Looking forward to another trip next year.

The cycling was fun, the food on board the Gandalf was excellent, and the boat/bike staff were brilliant. It’s a really great way to relax, get some exercise, learn something about the country, and generally have an extremely enjoyable time.

After a year of planning and anticipation, we were excited to arrive in Amsterdam and board our barge. The vessel certainly met our expectations and the meals provided throughout the week were varied and first rate. The Captain and crew were extremely welcoming and attentive to our needs and our tour guide excelled in both her guidance and knowledge of the areas. Would we do another bike/boat vacation? Absolutely!

The trip overall was a great experience. I have a suggestion for going forward. If possible try to have everyone speak the same language. Our guide and staff had to say everything twice because of the language issue. It also made table conversation impossible until we separated everyone by language. Our room only had half its electric outlets working. The captain said he wasn’t able to fix it. This type of problem could have been fixed when we were gone for 9 hours a day. The food was good and plentiful. No one left the table hungry. The self serve bar had an ample variety beer and wine. The staff were friendly and very helpful. There was a lot of biking; perhaps more than I expected. I was lucky I elected to get an ebike. There were time especially when the wind was howling on the nose that I was grateful I had pedal assist. The staterooms are functional. This is glamping. The rooms get hot and needed a fan which was supplied. I’ll never understand why the Europeans don’t supply sheets and a blanket for the beds. in that way you can layer your covers when you sleep. Instead all you get is quilt like covering that has two sheets and a filler between them. I asked and got the sheet thing with out the filler. Otherwise like the other guests we would sweat all night.

The trip was well organized, excellent guide, lovely countryside, varied rides each day, boat was quite good as was the food made by Greta. Tour company should be looking at either having all participants on ebikes or dividing up the group. Would definitely recommend this trip to others.

I had a great time. The kilometers per day was a bit more then advertised but Ok. Saw lots. Enjoyed the uniqueness of the Gandolf and crew. Having time to visit cities was a big benefit of the 11 day tour. It makes it more of a holiday then just biking. Our tour leader was very good and not having to figure out the route was a real bonus along with knowing where to find the good coffee, lunch and afternoon drink stops. Fellow travellers were wonderful…good group and the right size.

Cabins are small; *very* small for a large person. The crew is fantastic. Captain Hans is a capital fellow. Be aware that the Wi-Fi is next to useless – not surprising for a boat – so don’t expect to do any remote work. Food is good and hearty but not gourmet fare. It is a fantastic way to see the low countries and make new friends. Maximum cycling per day is around 57 km, which is quite easy for a novice. All in all, i would recommend it to anyone.

We enjoyed this ship and especially the friendly and helpful crew! Hans is an excellent captain! The biking was grand. Visiting many small villages was a highlight. Our bike guide, Patrick, was outstanding. I highly recommend this bike trip!

A great way to see the Northern European countryside up close and personal. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and attentive to everyone’s requests. So nice to arrive at our daily destinations to find our comfy river barge awaiting us with dinner. I’d definitely recommend Boat Bike Tours to anyone who has a desire to experience a slice of real Europe.