France

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 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 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.

Wonderful people, great food, very comfortable room on the Emerald river cruise boat. Biking on long dedicated bike paths through beautiful country was great. Some biking in heavy traffic areas requires caution. VBT takes care of everything! VBT guides were fantastic. If you are in good shape for biking, you will love this adventure through historically important regions of Germany, France and Amsterdam. Guides and local people share their knowledge and thoughts about recent as well as centuries of old history.

Enjoyed small ship ambience, beautiful bike rides, group camaraderie, and trip leaders' knowledge, leadership, and good humor.

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.)

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.

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

What a well planned tour. So special to have every aspect of our trip prearranged for us. They thought of everything. Just ride and enjoy.

Wonderful leaders, crew and accommodations on the barge

I’ve been on 10 VBT trips and this ranks at or near the top for guides, scenery and overall excellence. we’re grandparents 78 and 80 traveling with our athletic and energetic 28-year old and my siblings, in their 60s; the magic of VBT and the care of our outstanding guides, Chris and Axel, is that we all had a fantastic time. Chris and Axel showed our grandson extra adventures along the way while we others soaked up the scenery at a slower pace. The route is magnificent, following a shimmering river in a valley of steep vineyards studded with an occasional medieval castle. The boat was all ours as well as the wonderful staff, including an amazing chef, Richard. The food and ride information were excellent. Thanks you to Chris and Axel and to VBT for what my grandson summed up at the end was, “a trip of a lifetime.”

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.

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

Great place for a first bike tour. Most of the rides were along water of some sort. All was easy riding along bike specific paths, except for some short road sections. Hotels were ok, except for the last hotel was very mediocre.

Great trip in an outstanding part of the world. Nice accommodations and great leaders

My wife and I just got back from this tour and have nothing but good things to say. It was our first VBT trip, but will not be our last. We signed up for the full trip/air package and all aspects of our travel were seamless and flawless. VBT partnered with Emerald Cruises for the cruise portion of the trip and the partnership worked well. The ship was luxurious, the food was great, and the crew was friendly and helpful. The cycling was fantastic! This area of France has miles and miles of bike paths and quiet country roads. The routes were carefully planned and well-documented in the Ride with GPS routes. The daily mileage was in the 20-25 mile range over most flat terrain along the Rhone River and nearby vineyards. Our host/guides, Sophie and Bruno, were fantastic! In addition to being great ride leaders, they shared a great deal of local knowledge. Our group was relatively small (8 guests) so we had a good chance to get to know the group and make new friends. Bottom line - this is a five star experience. You won't be disappointed.

We feel like this trip was two vacations in one. First, we traveled the beautiful Rhone River via the deluxe Emerald Liberte, which had all the amenities we could want. These included tasty food, a comfortable cabin and on-board entertainment. And, second of course the bike tour. We had a friendly group of fellow travelers and loved our guides, Bruno and Sophie. The routes were clear, interesting and easy to follow and the stops were diverse and unique to the areas we biked through. Loved every minute of it.