Caprice

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Our guide Hugo was amazing! So knowledgeable and just a great person to cycle with. We loved the history of the area and the number of things we were able to see on the trip was really great. The bicycle was great and we moved efficiently together as a group. We were fortunate to have good weather despite the forecasts. Note that cabins are very small, but that they are also very efficient with lots of storage. Food by Nadia our chef was fantastic, and overall we loved the crew on this ship.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Pack lightly. Rooms are extremely small but well air conditioned.
I really don't have a favorite part. It was not a relaxing trip as the bruge to Amsterdam tour was. This took us through more crowded towns that were difficult to navigate due to traffic. It was extremely hot which added to the difficulty. Food on the boat was great but breakfast and lunch were repetitive. Crew was awesome and very accommodating.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Wonderful
Company, attentive crew, and delicious food. I enjoyed the comfort of the common area for visiting and the deck for the sailing. The cabins were very. Lean, but the small windows made it somewhat claustrophobic by the 6th night. Other than that, all was very satisfactory.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Overall it was a wonderful trip and experience. It was well organized and the 4 person crew was just fantastic. Food and ambience above expectations. All went smoothly for us. Note some headwinds which may be seasonal.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The crew was absolutely the best and this was my 4th barge trip. Amazing chef, 5 star food. Cleanest boat and everyone had a great time.
Our guide, Michela was the best and worked so hard everyday.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

3rd Barge trip. All have been excellent. The barge, crew, food, bicycles and tours all very very good. We all had a great time!! Such a fun and simple way to travel and enjoy your own group of friends!!

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

We thought the crew were wonderful. Very engaging and helpful. Michaela was awesome and did a great job.
Got tired of the same items for lunch daily .
A variety of items would be my choice. This was 5 th or 6 th trip with Tripsite for me.
Great job . Joanie Farina

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

What a beautiful and interesting region of France to travel through. We loved the historic towns and monuments we visited and once again doing it with a small group of lovely travellers and cyclists was most enjoyable.
The crew were fantastic and our guide went above and beyond to keep us all safe and have a wonderful trip.
Would easily recommend this trip for anyone who loves France, history and beautiful French countryside.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The Captain and crew were outstanding especially our daily tour guide Machiela who was extraordinary with kindness, Knowledge, and very eager to please everyone
Tip to others would be to expect about 20% riding on ruff gravel and ruff tarmac

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The most memorable part of our tour? Impossible to limit to one thing! This trip has it all: miles of gorgeous countryside roads and trails, small villages that look plucked from a travel brochure, access to castles and fortresses that are beautifully frozen in time... and experiencing all of it in springtime glory was tremendous. Being able to see Carrieres des Lumieres -- the Van Gogh immersive exhibit -- was such an unexpected treat. Perfect biking weather. It was our first bike and barge with electric bikes and it was fantastic... SO easy to manage the headwinds and longer uphill climbs with the pedal-assist. Really, we can't say enough about this tour... so wonderful on every level!

(** If you print this review, can you please just list me as "Kristine S"? Thanks so much!)

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

This was our sixth bike and barge trip. Our over-all experience was great!! The food was fantastic, the service from staff was excellent, and the bikes were better than our own. The Caprice is older and very tight quarters, both in the cabins and in public areas. This was a small inconvenience compared to the total experience.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Mickey, our tour leader, took us out after dinner on the barge, on a walking tour in Arles. I had been asking when we would see the location of where The Bedroom at Arles was painted. That is where she took us. In addition, we saw the location of where Starry Night was painted. She let me bring a friend from our sister barge.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Crew and guide were fantastic.
Our dinners were amazing. Chef put much thought into selecting and preparing our evening meal always paired with a fabulous wine.
Enjoyed recapping our day’s ride after dinner with our guide, Mickey.
Each day brought a new adventure of riding. Lots of variety.
Might include a walking tour of Avignon as part of the trip.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

We loved riding through the beautiful countryside and stopping to see the important landmarks along the way.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

We really enjoyed our trip through the Provence region of southern France! Our guide, Michaela, was very knowledgeable of the history of the area, kept us on low trafficked roads on our bicycles, and was in general a lot of fun. Additionally, our eBikes were in great condition and we enjoyed using them throughout our tour. The only downside was our cabin on the Caprice as we both have allergies and there was a persistent mildew/mold smell which necessitated keeping the A/C on relatively high to dissipate it. The cabin was also quite small for us traveling as a couple—one of us literally had to crawl over the other to use the bathroom. The hardworking staff is to be commended.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Great aspects=the guide, food, staff
Less were the comfort of the beds and space in the bathroom

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Our guide, Michaela, started each beautiful ride through the country side with such a positive attitudes and great information!
Loved the trip up to Le Baux!

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The route and group were amazing! The cities are very nice and historical… what I fell could be better is reception of participants of tour… inviting each one to identify oneself with others, to make a group… And I think our guide wasn’t so careful with the group… so quick some days… with no explanation about the beautiful little towns we were!! So pity!!
And they could help us about car parking before tour… You could have better support to guests.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Biking through the small villages was very picturesque. Only regret was not having a GoPro to video as we were riding through.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

All of it was wonderful. Guide Michela was fun and a great leader. There was a nice mix of stops for tours and riding. Scenery was beautiful. Also Liked the boat cruises from the deck. Hills and wind made it a little more of a challenging of a ride. Crew and cooks took good care of us. Would recommend.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Beautiful area. The small towns were charming.

The hills were a little more difficult than I anticipated. Suggestion for others would be to prepare for a lot of hills.

Great staff. The staff went out of their way to make all guests comfortable. Our group of 9 fit in well with the 11 others on tour. The close quarters make this necessary. The Staff works hard at making sure that all feel welcome.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Riding through the French countryside and small towns.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Riding through the fields of fruit trees, medieval villages, sipping beverages in the little outdoor cafes, tasting olive oil in the factory, learning to use the bike to it's potential, and enjoying the ambiance back on the boat with spectacular meals.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Staff and food were wonderful. Caprice barge has nice upper deck and dining facility. But cabins are beyond tiny, which we could have been happy with (and given 5 stars) if not for the following: Each guest is issued one towel set to be changed only once during the 8 night stay. The problem is during a humid or hot athletic trip, there's no way to dry the towels or to wash or dry athletic clothing, no place to hang them in ventilated area. We packed light with intent to wash, and couldn't. Clothing was "toxic" by end of trip! On an active trip, there needs to be laundry available, even if guests do it themselves. We found out on last day of trip there was full size washer/dryer on boat, but not accessible to guests.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Our tour guid was amazing (Melanie) She made sure everyone was safe and I believe everyone enjoyed themselves it was just a lot of fun what a great time with good friends and Melanie

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

I loved the integration of sight seeing and bike riding. The visit to the olive oil producer was very interesting. Also loved the opportunity to see the Cezanne Immersive theater. Melanie was a wonderful tour guide and made the trip very fun.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Our original trip was cancelled due to Covid and we took the Camargue trip in its place. It turned out to be a lovely replacement. I had felt this covered ground I previously knew but seen from the perspective of biking round places previously seen the trip added such a new and fresh layer, as well as previously unknown places, that it was like seeing things for the first time.
The boat was comfortable and the food really excellent thanks to the innovative hands of chef Sara.
Highly recommended.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The crew was very helpful and engaging.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The bicycle riding and scenery while pedaling is most memorable.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Compared to our other trips, the Caprice felt very cramped i.e very limited on deck room for groups. Probably should add a Caprice clothes line to dry clothes, minor but very handy
breakfast was ok but repetitive, other trips had a buffet and especially cooked hot items
suppers were hit or miss, I thought ok but most of our group thought mediocre
guide was excellent as were bike stops, especially the Aqueduct-Pont du Gard, Palais des Papes, swimming in the med, light show. Probably should add a visit to a winery. Consider precharging for some events i.e. colosseum, light show kamisky and Cezanne) , museums,--Palais des Papes, Van Goughs asylum etc) rather than make them optional as some folks are tightwads and really miss out on a fuller experience.
Cycling guidebook is excellent

Good crew

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The trip overall was well organized and executed in all respects with one exception. The crew were all very competent, friendly and helpful. The meals and service were also excellent, well prepared and presented. Our only complaint was with the execution of the required COVID test which was necessary within 72 hours of our departure. We were lead to believe that this important and necessary test would be all arranged by the crew and we would know where to go and what to do. This was NOT the case. Our group had to research and find the location of the testing on our own with some difficulty. There was much difficulty locating the testing site at the appointed time. We think the charge of 50 Euros per person was excessive. We did not fault our crew as they obviously had no idea that arranging COVID testing was their responsibility.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Most Memorable Part? The sites we biked to
Tips: Perhaps separating the electric bikes from those like me who used our own pedal power or 2 leaders for 20 bikers vs the one leader. Our group depended on fellow bikers as volunteers and we were fortunate in having several expert bikers in our group!!!

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Riding through the south of France along quiet country roads with the occasional stop to learn about the history and people of the place.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The crew of the boat Caprice was wonderful. Each crew member did their utmost to make the trip perfect for everyone. The food was outstanding, our compliments to the chef Joseph who prepared a gourmet meal every night. The tour guide Alessandra was wonderful and kept the group moving along together. The size of the tour was perfect, 20, the route was ideal and that part of France was beautiful. Highlights were the Ponte du Gard, the villages in Provence, Avignon and the tour of the winery and La Moulin d'Huile. We also enjoyed the company of the others on the tour very much.

Suggestions: bring raingear if it's the rainy season, stop in the cafes in the little towns along the way for beer, wine, french fries or desserts.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Most Memorable Part: Riding through the countryside and small villages, visiting Arles and Les Beaux.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

It is impossible to single out a single most memorable time. The food was delicious, the tour guide wonderful, the cycling routes took us to a variety of historical, cultural, and geographical places. We saw castles, an abbey, art, old villages, wildlife, walled cities, mountain top views, and took several short cruises on the river, The days were full, we had downtime when needed but were always kept busy if desired.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Cycling through historic monuments and the Camargue wilderness was magnificent!

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The mutual congeniality among the group was especially memorable and was facilitated by every element of the trip! Antonella, our cycling guide from Avignon to Aigues-Mortes, was the glue which brought us all together - she was a delight! The accommodations, with several locations for socializing in comfort, encouraged us to relate to each other in multiple group configurations. Finally, the variety of daily itineraries gave us many options to enjoy beautiful scenery and cultural highlights.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The Avignon to Aigues-Mortes bike-barge trip was terrific. Our guide, Antonella, was knowledgeable about the area as well as about the route. She did an amazing job of ensuring our safety and making it a really fun ride. We would have loved to stop at a winery or two!

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

Amazing staff and great guide

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The whole crew on our barge was wonderful, helpful and contributed greatly to the enjoyment of the week. The food was excellent, plentiful and culturally relevant. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, capable, experienced and fun ... great assets!

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

My main disappointment was that we did not go to Chateauneuf du Pape, that was one off the considerations in picking this tour. I understand the reasoning for the change in itinerary but it should be removed from the description if it is not being included. The gearing on the bikes could be better, higher top gear, lower bottom gear, for this tour. I hope this doesn't sound too negative as we did enjoy the tour. Most memorable sites were Les Beux/Les Carrieres de Lumieres and Pont-du-Gare.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The Italian barge staff and guide Carlos made the group feel like family. We laughed so much every day. It was sad to leave at the end of the week. Cycling, scenery was all very nice.

  Caprice Provenza - La Naturaleza de Camarga
Francia

The bike tour was terrific and exactly what our group was looking for. Biking along quiet country lanes and through vineyards. Our Italian cabin crew was fabulous.