France

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.

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.

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!

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!

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip. There were some weather issues that surfaced when we arrived in Basel, Switzerland. In our case, heavy rains had created historically high-water levels on the Rhine to the point where local officials had to close portions of the river to all ships. We communicated with VBT and they kept us informed of changes. Emerald Cruise line changed the itinerary and orchestrated the logistics to get all passengers to a new embarkation point. Our guides, Felix & Matt reacted quickly and created new bike routes based on the new routing. We enjoyed each ride through the country sides of France, Germany and the Netherlands. Felix and Matt were excellent guides. They worked very hard to make sure we had a great trip. The staff at VBT kept us well informed of changes. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.

This was a lovely, leisurely bike trip. Being on a river boat afforded flexibility to join the Emerald excursions or even just spend an afternoon on the top deck reading. Of course one could also opt to do full day cycling on mostly flat, scenic routes. It's rare that all needs can be met on a bike trip but this one had most covered: great accommodations and food, diversity in program options, and as much cycling as you feel like doing. Did I mention that our guides were terrific as well?

Cruising on the Princess Royal was a delightful way to travel! We could relax each evening after a full day of biking and enjoy delicious, thoughtfully prepared meals and good company. Our guides Axel, Aernoud & Steffi were enthusiastic and full of detailed information about the Moselle and each of the river towns we visited. They anticipated our every need or wish. Couldn’t ask for better!

The Mosel River bike/barge trip was great and I would highly recommended it. Just one travel hiccup taking the train from Berlin to Frankfurt. Train was late departing and our stop in Frankfurt was canceled. Luckily, all 18 of us on the pretrip made the local connecting train to the prearranged stop. Better support from Redpoint would have been appreciated.

The concept of Bike and Barge has intrigued me ever since I heard of it. This one exceeded my expectations. The views were absolutely incredible. The daily rides were easy - almost always flat and always packed with stunning scenery. If you are at all concerned about the cycling, reserve an e-bike. It is not a moped. You still need to be a cyclist (pedal, shift, balance and understand the rules of the road), but you sit upright to fully take in the view and the battery boost ensures you always have a ‘tailwind’. Having the barge to return to every afternoon means you don’t have to pack up as often. This barge was comfortable and the staff excellent. You will have greater opportunities to get to know your fellow VBT travelers, due to the common area and the sumptuous meals. I highly recommend adding the pre or post trips. Both worked for us! Learning German words and phrases also helped make the experience smoother. Smartphones can do amazing things. If I had to do it over, I would have studied more history of the area, including the time of the Roman Empire. Book this trip and you will not be disappointed!

The Mosel River Valley trip was outstanding. The guides were exceptional, as were the Captain and crew on the barge. The scenery, company and food were amazing. If I had two things to change or comment on, they would be that I would spend a day and a half in Luxumberg City and one day less in Munich. Also, the hotel in Munich could not have had a nicer, more gracious staff, but it is quite a ways out from the city center and the rooms/showers are very small. It may be that for financial reasons that is why the locale. However, despite the locale there is a superb Italian restaurant very near. I heartily recommend people take this trip, especially if you don't want a degree of difficulty in biking and want to enjoy spectacular scenery.

This tour has a little bit of everything we wanted. Great riding in gorgeous French countryside, excellent accommodations (as always with VBT), our bikes were perfect and GPS maps were easy to follow. Having an affinity for wine doesn't hurt, but this ride would be great just to experience the culture and atmosphere of the area.

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.

I had an excellent time. The hotels were wonderful. The food was great. The trails picked for excursions. Were EYE popping?

I wasn't sure how the Valley of the Alps tour would compare to the Alsace tour and was pleasantly surprised. The Alps are stunning and each hotel was better than the previous. The bike routes were relatively flat and easy. The tour guides were fantastic, helpful and supportive throughout the trip. Would highly recommend this tour.

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.

A wonderful week of biking, boating & site seeing. Our guides, Sophie and Bruno, left no detail unturned.