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.

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.)

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!

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!

Gorgeous peaceful rides on bike paths through charming towns, fields and vineyards. The guides Felix and Mirjam were exceptional. They devoted so much time and energy while providing lots of knowledge and fun for the group. Another fabulous VBT Trip – our 7th! I would rate the biking/routes/guides a 5 however I am rating the trip a 4 because my trip experience was diminished by the schedule of the river cruise ship. There was not enough time to explore the cities, experience local food AND take long beautiful rides. You could either take the excursions/walking tours from the ship (with the other 160 people) OR take the 2 daily rides offered. These were some of the BEST VBT rides I have taken and wouldn’t want to miss any! The local cultural/dining experiences were great too. If you REALLY want a river cruise experience (and maybe your companion doesn’t bike); I guess this is the trip for you. Personally, I would never take a VBT river cruise boat trip again. I loved the VBT trips on the small barges dedicated to only VBT travelers. Aside from this lack of time to explore on foot, the Emerald Sky ship was disappointing. The dining room had the worst acoustics – you could only speak/hear your fellow VBT traveler sitting next to you. If you are a light sleeper, do not book the lowest level of accommodations at the water line. The constant whooshing of flushing vacuum toilets and noise going through the locks at night made it difficult to sleep. On the positive for the ship: the service was excellent, the ship was immaculate, the food and food choices were very good. The cruise director, Dawn, was exceptional and made all the guests (including our VBT group) welcome. We are looking forward to our next VBT trip! I highly recommend the trips on dedicated VBT boats and I wish there were more of these offered.

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.

Recommend the Berlin pre-trip. Fun and educational. Interesting city. The bike riding along the Moselle is spectacular. Great paths, easy pedaling, beautiful scenery. Very tiny amount of riding on roads. Bike riders dream. The Mystique II barge - updated interior. Very small cabins, limited storage, nice bathrooms. Small rooms are to be expected on barge. VERY loud in common areas especially during meals. Couldn't hear person next to you so the decibel level keeps rising. We ate off the boat, when possible, for dinners. This let us explore the local areas and got us away from the loud dining. Barge staff was very good. Chef was not very good with vegetarian meals. Luxembourg post trip was interesting and 2 nights was plenty of time to explore the city. City walls were pretty amazing. This trip is worth the riding. It is a large group, up to 30 so that makes it less personal than a regular VBT. I did miss the closeness from guides and other guests that you get with a smaller group. The Barge is the reason for my lower score. It is nice not having to unpack for a week but most of your clothes remain in your suitcase under the bed - a pain. I would not go on this barge again because of the loud decibel levels in the common area and the food quality.

Overall really enjoyed the trip! VBT staff and barge staff were very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. They had a challenge to deal with the extreme heat that was present. The barge itself does not appear to be adequately outfitted to deal with such heat. The individual room AC was inconsistent at best. Not the staff's fault as they constantly tried to make it work as best they could. As passengers, we took steps to reduce the heat's impact and the staff accepted deviations from their normal procedures, which was good for all.

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.

Don’t bring your bathing suit because you will not swim in the river! Do bring a bar of soap and a small flashlight so you can see into your cubby/closet. The meals are spectacular! Biking is so much fun!

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.

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

Gorgeous scenery, fantastic guides, luxurious hotels, lovely people. My only complaint would be that I actually prefer smaller, boutique hotels without elaborate spas but I guess most people really like these amenities and they were plentiful. I mysteriously lost my passport and the guides took us to the train station at 5 AM to go to Paris to the embassy. They knew what to do to ease the stress and couldn't have been more helpful. I'll always be grateful for their understanding and competence.

Great trip. Eve and Jean Marc were fantastic guides. We rode hybrid bikes and they were perfect. There were only two little hills that were more difficult than easy. The Abby we stayed at was our favorite

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.

Our tour guides, Sophie and Bruno were the best! We experienced rides along lovely canals, through gorgeous vineyards and quaint villages. Our accomodations on our ship couldn't have been better, and we met some nice people.