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.

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 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!

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.

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.)

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!

It was a great trip. Everything thing went well-even the weather.

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.

The Mosel River trip was quite memorable. I loved cycling through the river valley, the history, the scenery, the vineyards and of course our VBT guides and staff on the barge. Everyone was very accomodating and ensured that we had a great experience. I'm glad we selected this destination and would recommend to any avid cyclist.

The Moselle bike/barge bicycling was one of the best riding routes we've done. 99% bike trails. 1% on roads. Beautiful scenery. Disappointed VBT did away with hybrid bikes. Only choice e-bike or road bike. I've never been on either although I ride 6500 miles per year on my hybrid. This may be our last VBT due to no hybrids. The barge, billed as a luxury cruise, fell far short. The noise in the acoustically challenged dining room reminded me of the volume of a Deep Purple concert at San Francisco's Fillmore West in the 70s. We had to take our meals out to the deck. Speaking of meals, I heard the words, Stouffers, Swanson's, Green Giant, Ore-Ida, & Pepperidge farms being used as comparisons. The cabins air conditioning was inadequate. Unless you like waking up sweating. The guides were good. Not the best but no complaints. VBTs tipping suggestion policy is totally out of control. Note to VBT 'pay your people a liveable salary!!!'.

This bike/barge trip couldn't have been better! The rides, the guides, the barge, the barge crew, the scenery, and the extra guided adventures were superb! We'd highly recommend this trip!

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.

Beaujolais, Chardonnay and beyond, this tour was all I dreamed of.

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.

Great trip, fantastic views, perfectly organized and exciting

We signed up for the 1st trip of the season which included the pre trip in Chamonix and the post trip extension in Lyon. Both are highly recommended. The routs are fairly easy, scenic & thankfully didn’t include a lot of climbing. The accommodations were tip tops, the two guides Cedrick & Sophie were excellent and they each had different skills that complemented the other. I cannot recommend this trip highly enough!

This was a truly wonderful trip! The river boat was great with very good food and service. The biking part could not have been better organized, designed or executed. Our guides, Sophie and Bruno, were delightful and could not have been more pleasant or helpful. They were wonderful resources for cultural and historical information and easily stepped in to give us local tours when the ship's tour time conflicted with our biking schedule.

Loved this tour. A combination of riding through the scenic areas along the Rhone and Isere with all the support of great guides, experiencing local cultures of each area and then returning to a "floating hotel" with all the benefits of comfort and great cuisine--- I found a must experience combination!