France

Bike routes were beautiful and enjoyable! Loved the town of St. Remy and the location of our hotel. Really enjoyed Avignon and again, the location of the hotel made exploring the city very easy.

Great trip! Our guides were great hosts and made sure everyone was safe, comfortable, and getting the most out of each day. Gorgeous part of the world.

We had an amazing time - And I can't speak highly enough of every aspect of this trip! Our VBT leaders, Sophie and Bruno, were exceptional, planning everything down to the smallest detail. They were a pleasure to be with in every way. We loved every hotel, each unique, and in the heart of a city, with lots to do in the area. Our e-bikes were brand new, and easy to navigate. We were blessed with beautiful weather and enjoyed our rides each and every day. I would highly recommend this trip - it will definitely not be our last. We are already booked for one next year!

I LOVED this vacation. I am an avid biker; my husband is not; and we both enjoyed the levels of activity and flexibility. The vineyards and villages were amazing to see, especially by bicycle. Jean and Jean Francois took care of our every need, and the accommodations were wonderful. What's not to like?

Biking in Normandy and Brittany was recommended to us by a fellow VBT biker on our previous trip and we are so happy that we listened to him. The daily parade of classic French villages, farms, gardens, and estates were simply beautiful. Our guides Sophie and Jean were The Best, and we learned more about French culture, history, and language than we could have hoped for. We recommend this trip to everyone!

We had a wonderfully-planned week of cycling along small, beautiful farm roads with itineraries bringing us to the coast of most days. Riding in August in 70 degree weather was great. We all loved seeing the texture of rural, historic France and learning more about Normandy and Brittany. The trip includes a focus on local food culture - the visit to the Cider farm was really special, as were the Cancale oysters and dinners at local restaurants. We also got so much out of learning more about WWII even though I did not choose this trip primarily for that reason. There were helpful guided tours, and the option to visit museums if you wanted more depth. I'm so glad we could take advantage of this aspect of visiting France. The Trip Leaders were extremely knowledgeable, good humored, well-seasoned guides who knew the area well and had set up a number of local experiences. We found the cycling to be engaging - beautiful rolling farmland that left me in a little better shape by the end of the week but wasn't overly challenging. (The shorter option was also always available.)

The Burgundy Wine Route trip was an exceptional vacation...it was a great mix of activity, leisure, learning and sightseeing. The trip leaders were personable, knowledgeable, and fun-loving, our fellow travelers were all interesting and friendly people, and the food, accommodations, and scenery were all first class. The daily route length choices ensured that everyone would be happy with their activity level, too. I’d highly recommend this trip to anyone who loves good food, wine, and outdoor activity. The pre and post trip extensions are also well worth it...especially the pre-trip in Lyon...there was so much to explore there!

This was our first Vermont Bike vacation but it certainly will not be our last! What a great time .For us it was a perfect mix of activity,culture ,wine and food. The countryside is just delightful and beautiful. The guides were excellent and our fellow travelers were wonderful .

This was a lovely, leisurely bike trip. Being on a river boat afforded flexibility to join the Emerald excursions or even just spend an afternoon on the top deck reading. Of course one could also opt to do full day cycling on mostly flat, scenic routes. It's rare that all needs can be met on a bike trip but this one had most covered: great accommodations and food, diversity in program options, and as much cycling as you feel like doing. Did I mention that our guides were terrific as well?

This trip was a little disappointing. The Emerald Dawn ship was just ok. Both espresso machines were broken the entire time we were onboard. Definitely not as nice as other cruise lines I’ve been on. As for the cycling, it was nice, but with such hot weather, it would have been nice to ride earlier each day. A few days, we didn’t even begin riding until the afternoon when it was too hot. The two “light” lunches we had off of the ship were dismal. One day our ride got cancelled, although it wasn’t the fault of VBT.

We had a wonderful time. The biking was great and the scenery picturesque. The barge cabins and lounges were comfortable and the food was great. Our guides, Axel, Steffi and Aernoud, were entertaining and looked our for our comfort and safety. Our only complaint was the excessive heat but that was not predictable or controllable. Next time we would go in the fall, not August. The side excursions to a former bell factory and to a family run winery were very interesting. We enjoyed seeing Roman mosaics in Nennig, the Roman amphitheater in Trier and the Eltz castle along the Mosel. The tour was equally balanced between vineyards, historic towns and castles, and enjoyable companions, food and wine. Our pretrip to Berlin was enjoyable and the hotel had easy access to transportation. We thought our walking tour through VBT would be the day we arrived so we had booked the following day for a tour of Potsdam. Therefore we ended up paying for a walking tour of Berlin the third day. Our tour guide to Potsdam educated us on the public transport system. Our post trip to Munich was disappointing only in that the hotel was not air-conditioned and it was not close to central Munich. Our VBT guide did take us to central Munich and showed us the sights we might want to visit on our own the day we arrived. She was very cordial and helpful and even said we could call her anytime with problems or advice.

Fun bicycling! Electric bikes, paved paths, German food, French Food, and a floating hotel. Hard working and knowledgeable guided.

Great trip with fantastic leaders. The Moselle was perfect in September. Accommodations on the barge comfortable and lounge made for easy socializing with the other guests. The barge staff was also very accommodating. However, the meals - Specifically the quality of meals lunch on board and dinner seem to deteriorate over the week. Good balance of free time and group time. I love how you can do your own thing during the day while biking.

This was our ninth trip with VBT and once again, they delivered. The Mosel River is lovely and the bike riding could not get any easier, predominately on bike paths. I think out of 28 people, 24 were on electric bikes. All bikes were well maintained and of the higher quality. We were aboard the Magnifique I which was top notch and comfortable. Heads up on accommodations. We had a "state" room and were very comfortable. Room for two chairs, small table, closet with shelves and hanging room, snug but efficient. My understanding the non-state rooms had little storage, no chairs forcing people to live out of their suitcases. Understand their is a lovely sitting room "upstairs" for all to enjoy and spend time with the other guests. Our chef was excellent with a number of outstanding meals. Our three guides, as usual, were patient, helpful and well informed. Guides Axel, Aernoud and Chris were extremely knowledgeable about the local history, kept us informed of local highlights to observe and visit, and were always available to solve any issues that arose. Sadly, our weather was not perfect, cool and cloudy, but that was what I expected in mid-October. Everyday we said no rain and rain it did not! Unlike land rides, there are more logistics. Sometimes we traveled on the barge during dinner, lunch or dinner, but mostly we would meet the barge at a mooring. I am very prone to motion sickness but floating down the river posed no problem. Beware, tipping is a little more extensive on this trip. Besides an additional guide, there is the boat crew to tip but not individually and not quite as much. Happy travels!

Beaujolais, Chardonnay and beyond, this tour was all I dreamed of.

Exceeded my expectations mightily. Gently rolling hills and vineyards and little traffic for the most part

This was a spectacular trip the scenery was lovely the mountains and valleys. The sound of cow bells echoing in the valleys and the bike paths. Much of the trip is on bike paths by blue lakes. This is enjoyable bike trip through lovely county and small towns.

Very beautiful scenery , good guides and the pre-trip is great

We had a wonderful time with 16 friends traveling from Lyon to Arles. The biking was great. The bikes were exceptional and the guides were also wonderful. The food on the ship is outstanding and the crew was also five star. Couldn't ask for a better vacation.

The consummate France Biking and wine trip. The guides were outstanding the routes were amazing and the food and wine were the best. Highly recommend including both the pre and post extensions to Paris and Nice for a complete France experience. The ship and crew were superb. Excellently maintained and operated vessel.