France

This was our first VBT vacation and we have already registered for a second trip. Provence and the Alpilles is a beautiful region of France with abundant fruits, vegetables and other agriculture. The bicycle travel through the French countryside gives an up-close and personal travel experience.

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.

This was our first VBT trip and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The guides were knowledgeable, positive, friendly, helpful and very professional. The GPS navigation was great. The routes were scenic, culturally diverse, and well thought out. The excursions/tours were interesting too. Recommend the ebike for the hills!

This trip was better than anticipated. We expected a great time, but this was outstanding in service, leadership and bike friendliness.

The trip through Normandy and Brittany was beautiful, historic, and fun! It was the perfect mix of biking though the country, visiting historic sites, and enjoying special treats along the way. Our guides Luc and Kevin were outstanding!

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.)

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 .

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!

The VBT portion of the trip was 5 stars as always. The itinerary was excellent and our guides were fantastic. I enjoyed staying on the small barges and ships much more than the big ship. To be fair, the ship’s staff was excellent, the room was fine and the food was very good. My biggest complaint was the acoustics in the dining room which made it impossible to talk to anyone who wasn’t seated next to you. Further, we did not upgrade our room and found ourselves on the lowest level near the water line. We heard every vacuum toilet flush and a lot of water sounds that kept us awake. Additionally, the furniture in the lounge was uncomfortable and there didn’t seem to be enough seats for all the guests at once.

Ashley coordinated our original trip in May, but we had unexpected health issues and she assisted us with every detail for our July trip. Get trip insurance, but don’t expect them to answer the phone to assist you when transportation fails to arrive at airport for transfer. Highly suggest upgrading airline tickets to business class as travel has become very stressful. Covid is still an issue with travel!! Our group was fantastic and we had great camaraderie. Guides were not as good as on previous trips. Limited support, snacks and language skills. The Emerald was amazing! Upgrade to panoramic view if able. Food, staff, amenities were excellent. Enjoyed ebike on this trip. GPS is a must- download maps BEFORE you travel. Pre trip- Zurich is a clean, safe and beautiful city. Use Rick Steve’s guide for one of touring. Have dinner reservations before you go for best restaurants. Get Zurich Pass before you go!

Fantastic trip, made even better by our 3 guides that did a lot of last minute planning to insure that this trip was safe, fun and memorable. Due to a last minute boat change, many pieces had to come together, but their knowledge of the area and bike trails made it happen. We traveled with 26 great riders. Highly recommend this trip!!!

We enjoyed beautiful, scenic trails led by 2 very helpful, informative and caring guides. Our ship was very comfortable and the staff very competent and caring. Meals were delicious and dietary preferences were accommodated, too.

The Mosel River bike and barge was a wonderful experience. The ride was mostly flat along the river with quaint small towns and hillside vineyards along the way. The scenery was quite stunning. The barge was comfortable and clean and the crew was outstanding. While the cabins were small, being able to stay in one place for seven nights was definitely a plus.

Excellent tour & guides. We are planning another tour next summer. Recommend the barge part to create a community of fellow bikers. Excellent meals & service. All staff was quite friendly & knowledgeable. ***** for Axel, Aernold & Werner and The chef!! Need for improvement: other bikes stored on the barge & mixup upon shuttle pick up in Luxembourg with no VBT personnel to greet us or give instructions.

The trip was amazing and very enjoyable. The only glitch was the tunnel was closed on one of the day trips and the copied map provided for the alternative route wasn’t very clear and we got lost. We called the support person but it was 2 hours before he called us back.

This was our first self guided trip, and I really enjoyed it. Biking in the French countryside seemed ideal for a self guided trip where we may want to stop longer in town, or enjoy a more leisurely lunch. The routes were challenging, since all the longer options went to the must see places (how can you not have a Chardonnay in Chardonnay??). I still enjoy the non-electric bikes, and found this to be the most challenging of my VBT tours, but it was still do-able, and I felt great at the end of each day. Just be prepared for some longer routes and hills. The infamous tunnel was open and a highlight to bike through. The guide said it's closed mid-October through March to allow bats to roost over the winter. Our restaurant stops on the route were fantastic, and it was nice to see how proud the waiters were about the local wine.

Easy cycling through valleys. A bit too much cycling on busy bike paths and urban roads for my liking.

This was my third VBT trip. The cycling and beauty of this tour was outstanding, but I felt that there were some shortcomings in comparison to previous trips. There was no local experience of dining at the home(s) of locals, nor were there any guided tours provided by outside guides. The support vehicle had limited snacks and they were only available once in the morning when we stopped an hour or so after breakfast. It would have been nice to have snacks available at the end of the morning cycling or in the afternoon as on previous trips. I still provided a good rating based on the other aspects of the trip.

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.

Good flat rides in interesting rural areas of the Rhône Valley. Staying on a river boat and not living out of a suitcase was a plus. Accommodations were quite comfortable. The food on the ship was excellent and it was nice to not have to hunt for restaurants.