France

Our cruise/bike trip from Lyon to Nice was great! Despite the cool and sometimes rainy weather and fierce winds, we rode on! We enjoyed the walks through each city, and the beautiful rides along vineyards, and fields of fruit and sunflowers. The olive oil tasting was fun and delicious, and the walk through the museum and delicious lunch by the water looking up at Pont du Gard were highlights for us! The bike routes were easy to follow and well thought out. And last but hardly not least was the delightful and knowledgeable guidance of our trip leaders, Sophie and Bruno. They shared so much about the areas we visited, and were so much fun to be with. There was nothing they couldn’t or wouldn’t help out with- we felt so secure under their leadership and guidance!

Nice cycling routes, river boat was very nice and food very good. But, it was more riverboat than cycling. There were only two lunches off the boat, we cycled through wine country with no winery stopes, the shore tours with the riverboat were terrible. The warm up cycling route was through heavy pedestrian traffic and was not safe. Communication of times and places to be was poor and as a result we often waited for uninformed or important fellow cyclists. VBT was not important to the riverboat operator and the VBT group was diluted withing the other riverboat passengers. The riverboat approach seemed to attract people who were simply disinterested in cycling. It just wasn't what I had previously experienced from VBT.

This trip has it all. Easy riding through stunning scenery on rail trails and around lakes, stops in picturesque medieval town centers, great food, and amazing accommodations. Where else do you get to stay in an ancient abbey, a castle, and a famous spa? The bikes were new and quite nice, and the guides, Jackie and Cedrick, the best.

We have done several VBT trips and this one rates at the top. The view and scenery were stunning. The biking was easy and relaxing. And fortunately, we were blessed with perfect weather. But as with all VBT trips, the guides truly make a difference. Jacky and Cedric were awesome. They are long time friends and play off of each other so well. They are helpful, informative, and really take care of you. The biking is easy and relaxing on this trip. The accomadations and meals were great. Highly recommended. We had a great time.

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.

The trip was amazing and very enjoyable. The only glitch was the tunnel was closed on one of the day trips and the copied map provided for the alternative route wasn’t very clear and we got lost. We called the support person but it was 2 hours before he called us back.

Great trip with fantastic leaders. The Moselle was perfect in September. Accommodations on the barge comfortable and lounge made for easy socializing with the other guests. The barge staff was also very accommodating. However, the meals - Specifically the quality of meals lunch on board and dinner seem to deteriorate over the week. Good balance of free time and group time. I love how you can do your own thing during the day while biking.

Beautiful scenery! Our guides, Axel, Aernoud, and Werner were wonderful, Chef Jules' food was very fine cuisine, and the biking was easy as rated. The Princess Royal barge was lovely inside and the perfect size for our group to get to know one another. We really liked staying put for the week and not having to repack every day or two. This was our 6th VBT trip but our first bike & boat, and we would do a bike & boat again! We always do the pre- & post-trips - they help with jet lag beforehand and can provide relaxing downtime afterward.

This trip was awesome. The barge upgrade was an amazing experience. Axel, Arnaud and Chris were fantastic. I felt well taken care of all the way around. What a fun way to see the German & French countryside; Many fun memories- I highly recommend this trip.

We had a wonderful time. The biking was great and the scenery picturesque. The barge cabins and lounges were comfortable and the food was great. Our guides, Axel, Steffi and Aernoud, were entertaining and looked our for our comfort and safety. Our only complaint was the excessive heat but that was not predictable or controllable. Next time we would go in the fall, not August. The side excursions to a former bell factory and to a family run winery were very interesting. We enjoyed seeing Roman mosaics in Nennig, the Roman amphitheater in Trier and the Eltz castle along the Mosel. The tour was equally balanced between vineyards, historic towns and castles, and enjoyable companions, food and wine. Our pretrip to Berlin was enjoyable and the hotel had easy access to transportation. We thought our walking tour through VBT would be the day we arrived so we had booked the following day for a tour of Potsdam. Therefore we ended up paying for a walking tour of Berlin the third day. Our tour guide to Potsdam educated us on the public transport system. Our post trip to Munich was disappointing only in that the hotel was not air-conditioned and it was not close to central Munich. Our VBT guide did take us to central Munich and showed us the sights we might want to visit on our own the day we arrived. She was very cordial and helpful and even said we could call her anytime with problems or advice.

The cruise ship is clean and comfortable and the crew is very accommodating. The scenery is lovely. The biking guides are friendly and very supportive. The tours are very interesting. Overall a fun trip. With the daily biking you don’t feel guilty eating the delicious food offered.

Great guides! Easy to use vocal GPS apps, for some of us independent riders. Beautiful country side, fairly easy riding with or without e-bikes, currently I’m a 72 year old male and enjoyed every mile. The Emerald Dawn was a pleasure to ride home to, comfy accommodation with a family feeling of as well! Good food and drink, helpful staff, very clean ship. We’re presently in the process of planning our next adventure with VBT.

Planning and ride with VBT was priceless!. Our bicycle hosts did a fabulous job taking care of our every need. We also did the 3 day in Paris pre-trip, which if you do the 3 day Paris pre-trip, make sure you book all excursions in advance. We pre-booked Eiffel Tower, Palace Versailles, Tuk Tuk Paris, Louvre Museum. My one negative comment was in the city of Dinan. We had a tour guide that was obviously very familiar with the City, Architecture and history. Unfortunately, we could not hear a thing she said. She talked softly, kept walking away, talking to 1 or 2 people....you get the idea. It would have been much better if she had us wear earpieces while she talked. Other than that, fantastic time and would recommend this trip.

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!

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.

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.

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.