Switzerland

This trip was better than anticipated. We expected a great time, but this was outstanding in service, leadership and bike friendliness.

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 was easy. Guides were great. Really enjoyed pre trip and post trip

The scenery is spectacular! The guides were knowledgeable and helpful, as well as entertaining. It would be nice to have local tour guides for the towns where Ride With GPS walking tours were included. This was a refreshing vacation.

My reviews/posts tend to be long so my apologies at the outset. My hope is for this to be helpful to my fellow would-be travelers and give you a detailed review of the trip rather than just a short, “we loved it” and a few bullet points and therefore let you review before you decide to plunk down a lot of $$$$ on one of these trips. Here we go… This was the 4th VBT trip for my wife and I together (I did a solo VBT also before getting married). We have always had a wonderful experience with VBT and this one was a good one as well. Not our favorite but still good. There are a few things about this trip that is so vastly different from the others I want to detail. First, the Boat portion: Clearly this was a Boat and Cycle trip and not the traditional cycle-only trips we have taken in the past. We wanted to try this because: • The number of countries involved. • The ability to not have to pack/unpack every day and, • The fact we have never traveled by boat. All these things made the trip very appealing. Let me tell you, not having to pack and unpack was great but it also comes at the cost of not seeing all the charming and quirky European hotels VBT finds for you! Do not get me wrong, the boat was excellent, the crew could not have been better, and the accommodations were first rate. We upgraded our cabin and if you can do this, do it because having the extra space and having a large deck/window view is wonderful but then again, there is a lot of common space on these boats too with boundless views. They even have a daily laundry service that we took advantage of, so you do not have to pack as much! The food was excellent, very professional and there was never a bad meal or service. However, this too comes at a cost. Because you are captive on the boat, you do not really get to venture out into a town and discover the local fare of a hidden gem or that Michelin restaurant in town as much as you may want. Nor do you ever get to have that 1:1 dinner with your significant other (if so inclined!) on the boat because dinner is always at tables of 4-6. We were lucky that we met an amazing group on our tour whose company we enjoyed tremendously. However, if you find yourself with a group you do not like, you will quickly realize you are going to be eating a dozen or so meals with them or at the very least be in the same room with them for over a week! One last thing about the boat- I had mistakenly assumed the boat would drop us off every morning and we would ride along the Rhine or into some towns and then meet the boat up the river. Nope. The boat stops, you get off and do your ride while the other vacationers on the boat (about 130+) do their city/touristy excursions. Boat stays docked. So essentially, you’re making a loop around the town and countryside. Not a big deal but wish I would have dug in a little deeper on this. The boat sails at night for the most part except for one day towards the end when we did have a 2:30 departure time in order to get to Amsterdam. Second, the Cycling: We met our two guides (was supposed to be three but the third had to bail due to family issue) who were genuinely nice. Mattyeus (Matt) from Hungary and Werner from Germany. Our group was large (24), and I think ultimately we could have used a third guide here as this was a unique and challenging trip that I’ll get to in a minute. Ride with GPS is a godsend and if you do not download it before your trip, you may experience issues when you get there so when you get the email from VBT telling you to download it, do it immediately!! Bikes were great and our group used all different types of bikes. Terrain is easy and flat with nearly no hills. We had riders in their late 70’s on road bikes and people in their 40’s on e-bikes. It was easy and fun! If you have cycled in Europe before you know that everyone loves to ride bikes and in many instances bike riders have more right of way than cars or pedestrians. If there was any criticism of this trip, I think that the stops you have during the rides for lunch and/or snacks could have been closer to restrooms, if possible. Half of our tour was women and I know several were hoping that the stops had restrooms at them or closer by. Having to hunt for a restroom sometimes became a sport at times. When I mentioned that cycling was unique or challenging, I meant only in that some of the routes were confusing-even with Ride with GPS. For instance, on our last ride in The Netherlands one of the longer routes was closed about ½ way through it and although we were told at outset it was open, it was not and so we had to quickly change course and use the other route provided. Not a big deal but confusing, nonetheless. Also, there were a lot of turns and back roads that look like you wouldn’t want to be going that way, but trust me, you do. Also, I would suggest not trying to “race” on these trips. You’re on vacation so enjoy the rides. Wanting to be first to finish will get you lost because sometimes you will be faster than your Ride with GPS guide can locate you and you may just miss a turn. This happened several times on this trip because the roads and side streets are so narrow and close together and not always easily marked. Also be aware that Ride with GPS is not like your car and will not tell you how to get back on course. You'll just have to figure it out if you're way off course. Also, word of caution; in The Netherlands you will also be quickly identified as not being a local because no one, and I mean NO ONE wears a helmet at all. Bikes are the primary mode of transportation in the cities, and you will have to ride somewhat offensively, not defensively. There is no yelling out, “on your left” or ringing of your bell for these folks- they are professionals and will zip in and out of lanes, cut you off or run you down if you hesitate. However, when they see you are wearing a helmet, they instinctively know you’re foreign and are very polite-most of the time. Also, keep in mind that they even allow mopeds on/in bike lanes so be sure to use your mirrors and always stay to the right- don’t meander on the path. Lastly the Pre/Post trips. If you can do it, I always suggest it. Not just because of the amazing cities, scenery, culture, and food but also for getting over the jetlag. We come from the West Coast so a trip to Europe is sometimes a 24 hour+ adventure. You need the time to get yourself right before your first ride. Zurich is an amazing city. The food, people, culture, and diversity are wonderful. We planned ahead and did a spa day and booked a top restaurant weeks before we left. You’ll need to do this too if you’re planning on wanting to do something special as everyone seems to be experiencing a labor shortage. The Hague for the post trip was equally fantastic. Much different pace than Amsterdam, we thoroughly enjoyed the museums (Escher, Mauritshuis and Mesdag) and were able to rent bikes at the hotel and head out to the beach just two miles away. Great weather and the beach were filled with dozens of restaurants and attractions. I am going to give this trip a 4+ Stars. Was not my favorite (Lake Constance still the best!) but I would recommend to anyone looking for something a little different than the normal cycle-only trip.

Nice itinerary, historical sites, bike paths, and food. Loved this trip, but the ship is somewhat dated. Would not buy the travel arrangement through VBT though.

I have been on 24 CW trips. This trip is one of the top 3.

Our experience hiking in the Swiss Alps with Alex and Cedric was the very best of any we have ever had. The selection of locations to hike, as well as our hotels, meals, and exact pathways and local people yodeling, making cheese, as well as the local mountain restaurants was absolutely wonderful. The weather was sunny & in the 70’s, even God was good with clear skies. Our guides were patient, experienced and very good company. We are grateful for it ALL. Thank you!