Boat Bike Tours Reviews 3,629

Boat Bike Tours kept us up to date with all information. Any questions were answered in a timely manner. The barge was as described, in fact, better than we expected.

The boat, crew, e-bikes, bike guides, food and the islands we visited were all outstanding and highly recommend.

From the ship, the staff, the experience and the lovely people we met. It was a perfect vacation for me and my family.

We biked down the Mosel River Oct 7, 2025 and had a wonderful experience! Our guides were knowledgeable, fun and always available. The boat crew were friendly and met our every need. We met people from all over the world. We ate wonderfully prepared breakfasts and dinners on board and packed our lunches for bike picnics. We couldn’t have been happier with our entire experience…what a unique way to experience new countries!

The route from Metz to Cochem is rich with spectacular views of vineyards and castles, and we had lunch stops in charming villages along the way. We got to visit local wineries and taste their excellent German wines. Cycling across the vineyards in their fall colours, and touring historic sites such as the cathedral at Metz, the Roman gate of Trier, and Cochem's hilltop castle were highlights.

We absolutely loved our trip from Metz to Cochem. October is a beautiful month to cycle through the vineyards along the river. The colors are breathtaking.

The crew was excellent, especially our two guides, Martina and Ivan (and Roco the waitperson and bartender!) Our guides were top notch and entertaining, as well as super-experienced riders. The food was fine. There were fabulous views to behold and special activities to enjoy - especially the Olive Oil Museum and meal.
HOWEVER I am not going to sugarcoat my review of the biking conditions themselves. I can’t speak for experienced road cyclists, but for anyone else,
unless you are already comfortable with the following conditions, you may want to consider a different tour than “Pearls of Dalmatia.”
The conditions included: narrow or no shoulders, tunnels, steep drop-offs, no guardrails, and sharp curves on narrow roads that were not designed for 2-way car and truck traffic, plus lines of 30+ single file cyclists.
Riding from sea level up each morning (there was a fair bit of elevation) and then back down to our boat each afternoon, that part was generally through the heaviest and most intense city or town traffic.
So, yes, there were long stretches of countryside riding with sparse traffic, but a asignificant portion of the time, I knew that a 20-centimeter (8-inch) swerve of my front tire could send me careening over a steep ledge, down a cement wall, or alternatively, into passing traffic. So, my advice is: first timers beware!

The whole team made our trip special! We loved the character and creativity of the team!

We had an incredible time during our week on the arkona! I would like to say that Abhijit and ida help make our trip so pleasurable! Their attitude, professionalism,and kindness toward others makes them a huge asset to the arkona! Of course Tom was also very attentive to all, and helped us on many occasions! He is very personable and just fun to be around!
Thank you for a great trip!
Suzanne Teixeira

Great trip great boat

Fabulous tour meandering through villages and canals under the exceptional care of the Fleur and boat bike tour guide Frans. The meals provided on board were designed by the chef for the regions through which we were travelling, tailored for their history, so very good. We were provided lots of breakfast choices and a fabulous coffee machine! The e-bikes were easy to use and adjusted to suit (I’m only 5’!) most paths and roads were easy going, and very enjoyable way to see this lovely part of the world - although being from regional Australia I sometimes found the traffic daunting in the bigger cities - however Frans guided us through safely & on the quietest paths. High recommend

First, the Magnifique III was gorgeous and our suite was beautiful. Second, our guides Lia and Meika were fun, competent, and always friendly. Third, the food was delicious and elegant. The cycling route was scenic and interesting. We had a wonderful time and hope to travel with your company again:)

Everything about this trip was great. Highly recommend it to others. Only advice I would give it to let cyclist know how steep some rides will be. Everone knows there a huge difference between a 13.5% grade and a 6% even if on an eBike.

Our guides were wonderful. They provided a fulfilling week on the bikes and facilitated all aspects of the tour, making it totally stress free. The e-bikes were top quality and worked great. The Bellezza is a great boat with a friendly and helpful crew.

Our group of ten women had a fabulous trip from Bruges to Amsterdam. The crew couldn't have been better-they took great care of us. Excellent food, comfortable rooms (and beds and pillows), and a beautiful ship. The biking was such fun (maybe with the exception of riding in busier cities, but we made it!). A nice variety of stops as we made our way through countryside and small towns. If this trip is representative of all Boat Bike Tours, I can highly recommend them and look forward to my next trip biking and barging.

The rooms were too humid and towels weren’t changed for several days. It won’t be long before the boat has fungus issues. It was certainly a poor experience given the cost was more than our Amsterdam to Bruges ride 2 years ago. The food and service was acceptable and up to the standard we expected. We had about 30 riders but the two tour guides didn’t break the groups up with sweepers and biking experience. Some riders were not experienced and we had one major accident in which one rider fell and had multiple fractures requiring surgery back home. There were also a few other falls resulting in some cuts and bruises as these riders tried to keep up the pace set by the better bikers.Crossing the busy roadways was dangerous with 30 crossing at one time time. Drinks were on an honour system but you couldn’t buy a single glass of wine only a $20 euro plus bottle. Seriously understaffed in which the captain and guides were servers. We only biked 5 days since the first 1.5 days were touring Venus on our own and needed to buy our own dinner (not on boat). Most came to Venus a few days earlier so we had already seen the major sights. The guide did show us something in the morning we missed so that was good. Had we done this trip first we may not have done the Amsterdam to Bruges with your company. I would recommend not offering this tour as part of your tours given the cost since it needs some serious upgrades.The staff were good and the tour guides did a fine job with the itinerary they had to work with. The weather was great so it helped offset the concerns raised. However going forward I am not sure we will do another tour with your company if you are going to contract out these rides.

Exceptionally organized and managed trip, well designed quiet rooms, experienced and knowledgeable guides. The guides and staff were attentive to our needs and wants. Great planning for breaks during the rides. We really enjoyed the extras that weren't mentioned in the itinerary such as the beer tasting and the night walks with our guides and sometimes local guides. WONDERFUL food and beautiful ship.

From the moment we stepped on board we were treated to great service and food. Our guides, Corrie and Mieke, lead us well and had a fun sense of humor, the crew worked hard to keep everything running smoothly, our chef fixed delicious meals nightly and of course our Captain kept us safely on course! I rented an ebike and I had never used one before. I enjoyed riding it. I was in a single cabin and was pleasantly surprised how comfortable it was and I didn’t feel cramped. The only thing I would suggest is adding a small shelf or corner shelf by the outlet and head of the bed because the single cabin doesn’t allow for a side table. All in all, I had a great time and met wonderful people.

The cabin isn't clean & the overall schedule could be more organised & efficient, especially when we compare ioue experience in Cochem -Metz.
However, the food in AVE Maria is excellent, first class chefs.

Croatia was beautiful and our boat (Princess Diana) was also very nice. We had some wonderful fellow bikers/travelers and our guides, Anna and Lea were also super. I would highly recommend this trip but please know that most of biking is on roads.