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.

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.

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?

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.)

Planning and ride with VBT was priceless!. Our bicycle hosts did a fabulous job taking care of our every need. We also did the 3 day in Paris pre-trip, which if you do the 3 day Paris pre-trip, make sure you book all excursions in advance. We pre-booked Eiffel Tower, Palace Versailles, Tuk Tuk Paris, Louvre Museum. My one negative comment was in the city of Dinan. We had a tour guide that was obviously very familiar with the City, Architecture and history. Unfortunately, we could not hear a thing she said. She talked softly, kept walking away, talking to 1 or 2 people....you get the idea. It would have been much better if she had us wear earpieces while she talked. Other than that, fantastic time and would recommend this trip.

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 our first river boat and bike tour and it was a very enjoyable tour. It was nice to only unpack once at the start and not pack up until the end. The guides were great and knowledgeable of the areas. Everyone in the group rode the first day in the rain, we didn't want to miss a thing! Accommodations on the boat were great and the ship's crew were attentive and polite. Only suggestion for making it better would be to cut down on the time allotment for lunch and spend more time exploring the areas instead of eating. Enjoyed the pre and post extensions also, especially Den Haag.

As always a great VBT adventure. Great bike routes through vineyards and orchards, along canals and rivers, and through quaint villages and countryside. Excellent tour leaders who were knowledgeable of the culture and area. Good group of bike riders. This was our first bike/river cruise. Emerald was a great partner. Past VBT trip have allowed us to become more immersed in the culture by staying at local hotels and dining at local restaurants. It was nice not having to move every other day. Overall an excellent adventure and would certainly recommend.

I was amazed, my active vacation was the perfect combination of biking, historic sightseeing, experiencing local culture, and enjoying quality meals.

Everything about this tour was amazing. Highly recommend!

Everything about the trip was the best of the best! Including VBT's group leaders, the crew on the barge, and the comradarie you develop by eating breakfasts and dinners on the barge together. Not to mention, you don't have to change hotels during the trip! The scenery from the barge and on the bikes was like being in a fairy tale!

The boat and bike was an excellent choice. Our guides, Werner and Chris were like being with family. Chris entertained us with his guitar playing and singing! The people working on the boat were friendly, respectful and funny.

The self-guided Beaujolais tour is a reasonable value and can be enjoyed without the guide (although the VBT guides are always great).  We appreciated the excellent lodging and quality bikes, per usual with VBT.  Locals in this region are very friendly but fewer folks speak English than in the big cities. The Beaujolais tour has a few really nice views, but the views and scenery aren't as good as other VBT tours. Twice on our tour, the hotels said they didn't have our luggage (not a great thing to hear when you arrive bedraggled after a day of riding) but eventually the hotel found it after some haggling. This tour includes a miserable hilly detour around what appeared to be a perpetually closed tunnel, and it was hard (for us and other riders) to find our way back on the route once we slogged the unplanned hills. The "Ride with GPS App" was okay in general but gave confusing and contradictory directions more often than I'd think...but it wasn't much of a problem.

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.

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

Beautiful scenery, great leaders and relaxed biking made for a great trip.

Great trip! Wonderful leaders!!! Sophie and Bruno are two of the best leaders we’ve ever had on a VBT tour (we’ve been on six). Food on the Emerald riverboat was superb. Only criticism is that on my step through hybrid, there wasn’t room on the bar for my water bottle. That made it necessary to stop for a water break and that’s difficult.

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.