Reviews

My husband and I greatly enjoyed this trip. It was relatively flat terrain from Koblenz to Mertzig, but you need to be fit and have some biking experience in order to enjoy it properly. For example, you need to be used to being 3 – 4 hours on the saddle at a time, ride at a pace of 10 miles/hour, able to cycle up some short hills (unless you want to walk it), be comfortable in cycling for short periods in traffic or over bridges. It also rained for short intervals in 2 out of our 6 days of cycling so bring appropriate clothing and be prepared to get wet. The cabins in the boat are very small with not much storage space so you cannot pack too much stuff. However, there is always plentiful hot water in the shower. There were 3 small port holes that could be partially opened in each cabin, but the room still got stuffy since all the cabins are below deck without AC. A small electric fan is provided in each cabin that is placed on a high shelf above the head of the beds. The fan would be much more effective for cooling if the fan could be mounted at the ceiling at the foot of the beds. The food on board is also good with different menu themes every night (South Africa, Dutch, Indonesia) but there was no German cuisine despite the entire trip taking place in Germany. Beer (mostly Dutch) and wine are provided on board for purchase on an honour system. However, it would be nice if some German beers and wine from the Moselle region would be provided as well since the tour takes place in the Moselle region that is famous of its wines. One wine tasting was arranged for our group in Zell but we would have liked to have more wine tastings at different wineries in Trier and in Saarburg. Our bike guide Weiger was excellent. He was very patient and accommodating to guest’s requests. He is also very knowledgeable and is always watching for the safety of his guests. We highly recommend Weiger as a guide. My only major complaint is that we originally booked the Metz, France to Cochem, Germany trip so we arrange flights into Paris and out of Frankfurt. 20 days before the start of the trip, we were contacted by Boat Bike tours that our trip was cancelled due to last minute cancellations by other guests. We were offered other alternative trips but none of them originated in France and finished in Germany so we booked the Koblenz, Germany to Merzig, Germany tour. Due to this, we had to change our flights to fly in and out of Frankfurt. This change of flights within 20 days of our departure resulted in a 60% increase in our airfare. Although I told Boat Bike tour about the increased cost of our airfare, there was no offer of any compensation.

My trip in The Mosel river with Flora boat and the all team was wonderful Many thanks

It was excellent!

All personnel were excellent. There were a few places where better instruction would’ve been helpful to avoid occasional difficult places with Sudden steep climbs gravel Paths, Rocky ravines and other places that lead to potential falls and in some cases actual falls by some of the people. The cabin was excessively stuffy even with the fan running. The tour guide was outstanding and was very patient with those with lesser skills.

Enjoyed everything about the trip. Berthus and Ann Marie were such lovely people that they made every bit of the journey a joy.

I am an artist and wanted a special trip for my husband and I now that we are retired. I wanted to see a lot of the great Dutch art and also have time to capture scenes by painting along the way. My husband and I traveled on the boat Flora on the Green Heart of Holland Tour. It was by far the best trip we have ever taken. Berthuis and Jonne were amazing hosts and Elles was a delightful person and fantastic chef. They recently purchased the boat 6 months before our trip and updated everything! There were 20 passengers on our trip and it was terrific to be able to get to know everyone, even though we were the only Americans (everyone was so nice and we crossed language boundaries!). A new fleet of bikes and the exceptional maps and daily itineraries as well as the audible app on our phone made traveling unguided each day a pleasure! Our meals were delicious and there was plenty and great variety of food. I am lactose intolerant and Elles made me special desserts every day! Each day when we got back from our biking there were fresh cookies and treats! We had never taken such a trip. Now we are hooked! This is an amazing way to see a country! We have been on group tours before and spent most of our time in a tour bus. With the bike tour, we left the boat at 9:00 am each day and had time to explore many different sites along the route at our own pace and still have plenty of time to make it back to the boat for dinner. I painted almost every day! Each day we made our lunch from the expansive breakfast. The reusable containers that were provided helped store it safely until we ate. Water bottles were provided as well as a super cool strap to hold our phones to the handle bars and a pump and bike repair kits (that we never used). Every detail was taken care of. The captain was able to answer all our questions and provided exceptional local knowledge – he spoke Dutch, German, and English and provided announcements and directions in multiple languages. Our state room was clean and comfortable. We could help ourselves from a basket of extra toiletries as needed. There was delicious coffee, teas of all types, decaf, and water available at all times. An abundance of other beverages were available for a price, on an honor system. We didn’t use them much, but I saw that the captain accommodated special requests from other passengers and stocked the bar as requested. We loved the fact that the boat was docked for the night. We got a chance to take a nice relaxing exploratory walk before or after dinner. I booked this trip 8 months in advance and it far exceeded our expectations. While we used regular bikes and had no problem with the daily mileage, other passengers chose the e-bike option. We are already planning which bike trip we can take next year! The Boat Bike Tours Company is great. Petra, who handled our reservation was terrific and in regular e-mail communication answering my many questions. The itinerary on the website was precisely what we encountered on the trip. The pre-trip information package detailed every aspect of the trip and was so helpful. It even included a suggested packing list. We feel like we have made new friends in Berthuis and Jonne. We have awesome memories that will last a lifetime!