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.

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.

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

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!

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 wonderful experience. The itinerary, guides and bike routes couldn’t have been any better. Everything was planned the minute we landed in Paris. Would definitely recommend to anyone with an interest in the Normandy history.

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 two guides were really great. They did everything possible to create a very enjoyable riding experience for all of us. My carbon fiber road bike was phenomenal. Like floating along. The choice of bike routes was fine. Very scenic, and illustrative of how people lived in these rural communities. I especially enjoyed the wine tasting stops. Learned a great deal about the EU and agriculture there. The ship was very nice and the food excellent. However the VBT group was a bit constrained by the rules and schedule of the large number of people on board for the cruise only; ex:!the dining experience was very loud and raucous. The only other comment is that the airport pick up in Zurich was not well organized and the taxi taking us from the hotel opera to the ship was totally disorganized resulting in the driver being lost for a couple of hours searching for the boat.

Although the Rhine itself is developed, we had rides that took us out in the country along bike paths and seldom used roads. The ride with GPS and the downloadable ride instructions were invaluable. It was the difference between worrying that you were on the right path or sitting back and enjoying the scenery. The two winery stops were great. I liked that the second as at the end of the ride where you could relax without fearing you had more biking to do. But... the first gave us a nice break in the middle of the ride. The two add-ons were a great addition to the trip.

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.

We couldn't not possibly have enjoyed this trip more. To begin with, the setting of the Mosel River exceed my expectations—it was far more beautiful than I'd anticipated. As someone who's always been comfortable with self-organized travel, I didn't know how I'd feel about a guided trip, but it was flawless. The cycling routes were excellent, the support on the road was everything one could need, and the accommodations on the barge were outstanding. All the personnel were delightful to deal with. I particularly want to call out our guides Axel and Arnoud, who were deeply knowledgeable, funny, and personable in a way that set a tone for all the tour's participants. They helped create an atmosphere of relaxed congeniality.

Great trip. Our Chis and Verner were outstanding. Always helpful with the many questions and small problems we encountered. The Captain and the ships crew made for a very enjoyable trip.

The bike guides, Axel and Chris, were very knowledgeable about the area's history and customs. They also worked endlessly on the bikes to keep them in top running order for the cruisers. During down times at meals they shared about their lives and asked questions about our lives. They were patient with all the different personalities of cruisers.

A remarkable selfguided bike trip! Because it was selfguided, we took our own time pedaling and sight seeing. The bike app that loaded each and every turn and maps was amazing! It was also very good to have a short and a long loop biking so individuals can choose how many miles they want to bike every day. One suggestion would be to have rest days in between and make the trip longer. Chateau Pizay was superb as the other places we stayed. All in all i will give a 5 star rating. I am waiting for VBT to put up other self guided cycling tours.

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.

Beautiful scenery everyday. Guides were fabulous and ready for anything at all times! We had way more rain than hoped for, but still each day was enjoyable. Food was divine.

VBT France and Switzerland 2023 - Great trip in every way! ============================================== Six fantastic days of biking! The pre-trip in spectacular Chamonix was idyllic in every way. The first highlight was riding up the gondola at '' l 'Aiguille du Midi '' to the top of Mont Blanc. It was our first ever bike trip and we thoroughly enjoyed every part of it. We were very lucky to have such perfect sunny days except on our warm-up ride, we were caught in the rain. Easy riding through stunning scenery on rail trails and around lakes, stops in picturesque medieval town centers, great food, and amazing accommodations. The views were spectacular and one of the many high points were the para gliders in Annecy. Look up on your ride. It looked like butterflies coming down. This would be an excellent trip for someone's first VBT experience. Most of the people on our trip had participated in many other VBT Tours and that fact spoke volumes to the satisfaction and high quality they have previously received. My wife and I will sign up for another trip in the future! This was our first trip and will not be our last. Had an awesome time!

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.

I want to rate this trip as 4.5 but that option is not available. The biking was great - loved the e-bike! Visiting the towns/villages along the route was a highlight. There were advantages and disadvantages to the river cruise; being a small part of the larger group of cruise passengers made it difficult to form a cohesive biking group. But staying in one place for the duration of the bike trip was a plus. Recommend the trip for those who enjoy biking as well as visiting historical towns and villages.