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.

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!

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!

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 .

First rate! Definitely will do more VBT trips in the future.

VBT needs to improve the connections at the airport. It was confusing. They were late plus made us wait. Also they had difficulty communicating. Poor start. We lost someone to a fall on the first practice ride. Possibly better detailed do’s and don’ts. The association with the Emerald made it difficult to thoroughly enjoy our excursions because we always had to hurry back to the ship. No time to leisurely ride and stop to enjoy the picturesque little villages (unless it was planned into the day by our guides.). What they were able to schedule was wonderful!..the cheese and wooden shoe factory, the winery tour, lunch. We enjoyed the varied landscapes (farm, vineyards, villages, mountains). Tho the gps was very detailed, there were a few times it was very confusing and no one there to guide us. One couple got lost and left behind! They finally showed up at the lunch stop late. What I do all of this again? Yes, but separate from the emerald cruise line.

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

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

Lovely region to bike and cruise through. The Mosel is less busy or congested compared to the Rhine. The accommodations and food were very comfortable (esp. beds) and DELICIOUS. The VBT staff so accommodating even offering me an e-bike mid-way through to make me more comfortable. The side trips to wine cellar, bell foundry were also great.

This trip gives you a combination of beautiful scenery, variety of terrains, and a ton of history. Way more than I expected. Outstanding. The VBT tour guides were entertaining, knowledgeable, kind and caring. Very well run organization. I was a little worried about navigating a foreign country, but the work that went in to build the Ride with GPS app was incredible. I always felt in control and the level of details that were provided at every turn were terrific. I always feel relaxed and I was able to enjoy the ride, instead of worrying about directions.

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 tour and we had a lovely trip. The scenery was beautiful: small villages and hillside vines. The food and wine was amazing. The ride was primarily on bike paths, and as usual the hotels were terrific. VBT never lets us down.

We loved our trip with two great tour guides! We enjoyed the food, the wine, the culture, the scenery, the lovely villages and of course the fabulous Alps! Biking was through some very scenic areas with agricultural fields and gardens everywhere! My luggage was lost for four days, but the representatives from our travel insurance company were very good about tracking it down and getting it to me on a timely basis. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone! Croissants anyone??!!

With the exception of a few routes, rides were on bike paths, waterways and small village roads. Rain is not uncommon so pack accordingly. The ride around Lake Annecy is a stunner. The countryside is green, peaceful and quiet. Logistics were handled well. It was enjoyable to take walking tours of medieval towns along the route. Be sure to pack your swimsuit for the thermal pools. Overall a great experience although our room for the last two nights of the tour was a disappointment.

I loved riding the e bikes and Bruno and Sophie were great getting us into the feel of every new town. The staff on the ship was a delight. We loved the Paris and Nice extensions. The hotels were in very convenient Transfers were also coordinated to the minute.

This was our third VBT trip, and it strengthens our plans for future ones. Our guides Sophie and Bruno were professional, personable, highly experienced, and fun! They had the answer to every question, from biking issues, GPS, and we especially appreciated the the very deep local expertise they displayed. We loved having the ship as a luxurious "home base", and not having to change hotels every other night. The service and cuisine on the ship was excellent. Each location and the rides/tours were as beautiful as we expected; the GPS instructions worked very well.