Leafde fan Fryslân boat/barge tour reviews — 1 to 19 of 19

5 out of 5

 


Alexandra P.
5 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail Holland’s UNESCO Wadden Sea & IJsselmeer

The ship we were on was quite amazing at 220 feet long! The landscapes while bicycling were so gorgeous. Brain games for rainy days.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Edward S.
6 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail Holland’s UNESCO Wadden Sea & IJsselmeer

The biking, sailing, and staff were great. We really enjoyed the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen and the Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Patrick P.
6 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail Holland’s UNESCO Wadden Sea & IJsselmeer

This was my third bike/boat, and, this by far was my favorite. The accommodations were wonderful, the crew professional, friendly, and helpful. The tour was fabulous, meals were delicious, and plentiful with lots of variety. I can go on and on, we’re checking out another tour, if this particular ship went elsewhere, I’d definitely consider another booking on it. Friesland was so interesting.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Cindy M.
10 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail Holland’s UNESCO Wadden Sea & IJsselmeer

The crew was exceptional. I loved the self guided trips, the maps we downloaded before trip was accurate and easy to follow, it was easy to make this trip your own. We found lots of hidden museums and churches to explore.
A few areas could be improved. With so many good bag teas available, the pecwick teas had little to no flavor. Also, disappointed seeing no seals in wild. Description of trip needs to let customers know, very unlikely to see these. We were able to see some seals in rescue aquarium.
Highly recommend this trip! Can’t wait to pick our next adventure

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Dave S.
10 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the Tulips

Excellent tour, great accommodations, great food and great staff!

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Sally R.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the Tulips

This was a trip of a lifetime! From start to finish we were taken care of in every way. The accommodations were very nice. The crew were amazing! Everyone went over and beyond what was expected. I still can't believe the wonderful food the Chef prepared for us. The presentation alone was so impressive. The tour leaders were so helpful and worked so hard to make sure everyone knew the daily plan and made sure the bikes were working and the tours went well. The hostesses worked so hard and paid attention to every detail with a smile. The Captain and First Mate also worked hard every day to make sure our trip went smooth. The only thing I would suggest is that we needed more time at the Keukenhof Gardens. Three hours were definitely not enough to enjoy all of the gardens. We enjoyed every aspect of this trip. I highly recommend this tour!

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Deborah W.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the Tulips

The tulips while riding. The tulip gardens. Bikes were excellent quality. We really enjoyed the wooden shoe cheese guy, it was a performance. We enjoyed the crew very much. Each one of them had high standards of performance and they excelled in their expertise. As regards the person in training to be a guide, I would suggest that she listen to Helde to put together a plan of what makes a great guide (knowing your subject deep down, be curious, when doing a town walk, or even a ride through the windmills provide interesting information and be able to anticipate and answer questions, be approachable, to name a few). We would have really loved to be able to actually sail the boat, but it didn't work out. The crew did allow us to put up a sail, which was above and beyond. The cook's food selection, preparation and presentation were of a very high standard, especially given he was cooking on a boat. Overall highly recommend.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Susan Meg P.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the Tulips

This was an amazing trip. The boat was comfortable and beautiful, the crew were all so nice and did everything in their power to make sure we were all getting our needs met. The bicycles seemed brand new and functioned without any issues, and the site seeing was wonderful. Our guide Hilda knew so much about the places we went and I really appreciated her sharing her knowledge and fun facts with us. This was my first trip like this and my only regret is that it was not longer! Looking forward to my next one with Tripsite!

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Donna D.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the Tulips

The Holland bike tour was magnificent! The ship crew and tour guides were very friendly and helpful. The tulip fields were amazing. Highly recommend.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Barbara R.
11 months ago

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the Tulips

Combination of boat and biking. We are sailors and enjoyed the maritime aspects of trip. Chef was an unanticipated pleasure.
Note that there are strong headwinds in North Netherlands.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Janet J.
September 29, 2023

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail Holland’s UNESCO Wadden Sea & IJsselmeer

This trip was an amazing experience. The boat and crew were more than helpful; they were interesting and enjoyable. When sailing, the weather is a huge factor and when we were unable to sail, they found other interesting things for us to do. The rooms were clean and the food was extraordinarily good. We had wind and rain and sunshine, and as the tour was self-guided, we could bike at our own pace. Our fellow travelers were also a huge part of our fun. Thanks to all.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Margaret C.
May 14, 2023

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the Tulips

This was a good mix of cycling to sightseeing and sailing. The boat and crew were the highlight as well as cycling through tge dunes, the island of Texel, and the tulip fields.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Becky K.
May 10, 2023

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the Tulips

It's impossible for me to select one "most" memorable part of this trip since the entire week was fantastic. Living on the boat was a wonderful experience, mainly because the staff was great and the other travelers were so fun -- plus the food was excellent and the cabins were more spacious than I could have imagined. The biking was wonderful -- enjoyable and not too strenuous. Wieger stopped fairly often to share lots of info and to give us time for photos or coffee. The only bummer was that we were a week or two ahead of the tulip bloom, though the hyacinths were absolutely gorgeous and so fragrant. My only suggestion is maybe to have participants introduce themselves or have nametags the first day since it took me a few days to get everybody's names straight. :-}

The crew was super friendly and knowledgeable. We weren't a high-maintenance group, yet they took food allergies and similar needs into account with a smile.

Overall, this was a fantastic trip that fulfilled my decades-long dream. I'd highly recommend it to others, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And I'd definitely do a smaller ship like this again rather than one of those gigantic long boats or a huge cruise ship where you don't get to know your shipmates. Part of the fun of this trip was getting to know others from around the world who had similar laid-back and active attitudes.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Karen D.
October 18, 2022

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail Holland’s UNESCO Wadden Sea & IJsselmeer

Our week long bike boat trip on the Leafde fan Fryslan was an absolute success! Every aspect of the trip was excellent. The boat was lovely and super fun to stay on, the crew was fantastic, the food was delicious and plentiful, and our bicycles were comfortable and easy to ride. Exploring this area was a real treat as we had never been to the Netherlands before and the tour gave us a wonderful opportunity to see landscapes, seascapes and the Dutch culture..

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Dennis E.
October 18, 2022

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail Holland’s UNESCO Wadden Sea & IJsselmeer

Everything about this trip was great! The 5-person crew on the Laefde fan Frysland went out of their way to make us all feel comfortable.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Andrea S.
September 27, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the IJsselmeer

This is our 5th bike and boat trip, and all of the others have been 5 star experiences. This tour was very nice, but we had one major problem. We were absolutely unable to keep up with the tour guide. Another Canadian couple was in the same boat. Many of the German guests brought their own e-bikes along. Thankfully, the Dutch wayfinding system is excellent, but we really missed going with the group. Also, the tour guide did not stop at cafes, churches, wineries, breweries, etc. like we have had on other tours. He did make reservations for an interesting water works plant, but the entire group needed to pedal as fast as possible to get there by 2PM. I went to see the plant the next morning on my own. The boat was super fun, especially when the sails were hoisted. The food was great, the crew was great. I would urge anyone looking at this tour to rent an e-bike to keep up, or not pay extra for the tour guide, and just do the trip on your own.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

James M.
July 12, 2019

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail Holland’s UNESCO Wadden Sea & IJsselmeer

Everything from the Guide, the history of the region, the sites. The horses. Wonderful tour. Highly recommend.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Merinda N.
July 24, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the IJsselmeer

It is difficult to highlight one part of the trip as the whole experience was excellent. I have done bike/boat tours before and the accommodation on this historic ship was by far the best ever. The rural scenery in the Netherlands is extraordinarily beautiful and the Issjelmeer is stunning. Actually, perhaps the best thing was the staff. We felt like personal guests on this trip and as if the staff were long time personal or family friends. The organization was informal but efficient and the food was home cooked and excellent. There was a variety of activities from cycling to sailing; exploring historic villages and towns and swimming in the sea. Best ever trip.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands

Geoff
May 29, 2018

Verified Reviewer

· Bike & Sail the IJsselmeer

Fantastic trip! The biking was great...very serene and relaxing thru small towns and villages thru farmland and along the coast.
The best part was the socializing with felllow travelers and the crew. The ship is huge for a sailboat, but much smaller than the big barges. Between biking and the ship, we all spent a lot of time together, and had a lot of fun getting to know each other. My cruise happened to be on a German holiday...I was the only non-German on the tour. It worked out fine, everyone was welcoming and willing. Between a bit of Ge-english and sign language we shared many laughs (and beers!) together.
Ilse led our tour-her knowledge of the area was great, even opened her riverboat home to us during our stop there.
The ships crew was terrific. Captain Eelke, first mate Annemaj, and Thabea all made us feel at home. Chef Alf served up restaurant quality meals, this was an awesome surprise.
Would absolutely return to Netherlands...would even consider repeating this trip/ship with other friends and family, it was that good.

Countries included in this tour?
Netherlands