Heart of Holland Tour Reviews — 1 to 12 of 12

The crew and guide were fantastic! They did a great job—friendly, knowledgeable and they had a good sense of humor. The “Sarah” has issues with cleanliness—for the entire trip, each room was infested with dozens of drain flies and had a strong smell of sewage. The carpet smelled like dirty socks. The owner happened to be on the boat for the first leg and he said that he was going to install new bathrooms and take care of drainage issues (flies/sewage smell). However, when we docked in Amsterdam, the boat was being cleaned so it could be used as a floating hotel. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the problems will be fixed. For the 2025 season, please encourage the owners to fix the problem so others do not have a similar experience. I would not go on the “Sarah” again without this being addressed.

We really enjoyed the towns we visited and the diversity of the beautiful countryside.

It was a family reunion with friends whom most have never been on a bike & barge trip…ever! It was fun, exciting, adventurous and EPIC. If you are curious about a bike and barge trip, take the leap and do it. You may see something, meet someone or reinvent yourself that changes your life.

The scenery we passed through. It was beautiful. I definitely recommend going on the side excursion to the flower auction. Crazy scale.

The staff on the barge, Gandalf, were friendly and accommodating, Meals were exceptional; kudos to Chef Hans!
I thoroughly enjoyed the Green Belt biking of Holland, the fields, forests and windmill areas!
Our tour leader, Patrick, did an excellent job of leading and managing the group.
However, I do feel the local partner fell short; by not having an extra staff member biking in back of the group, as the “Sweep”.
Patrick asked for someone to volunteer, each day, to be the Sweep and I don’t feel we paid for this tour to have this job and responsibility.

I really enjoyed rolling through the countryside and stopping at small towns and villages. The city tours were an enriching cultural experience.

We had a fantastic time on our recent "Heart of Holland" tour, aboard the Gandalf. The scenery every day was varied and interesting and we enjoyed the evening walking tours in each town. Our tour guide, Fred, was alot of fun to be around and it was obvious that he enjoyed his job!

The barge was comfortable and had everything we needed. Hans, Rosanna and crew were professional, warm and friendly and made you feel as if you were part of the family. We enjoyed the family style dining and the food was excellent.

If/when we book another tour, we will definitely make sure we're on the Gandalf again!

Most Memorable Part: Cycling the Dutch countryside

I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the “Heart of Holland” Bike and Barge Trip aboard the Lena Maria. I was a party of four ladies (3 Canadians and 1 USA) whose trip began on May 11. We had a fantastic trip.

Our guide, Francien, was excellent! She did an excellent job of leading the biking events...stopping for breaks when needed and keeping us moving at a comfortable pace. The evening “Next Day” sessions gave us a good idea of what to expect the next day. The stops at the 17 windmills, the cheese factory, and the flower auction site added to the day’s plan. The two evening guided city walks gave us time to explore onfoot, too. Lastly, Francien kept close watch on her biking group while leading us through city traffic and country roads. The biking trip was an excellent way to see the countryside.

The crew on the Lena Maria was excellent...the food was wonderful (great Chef!) and the hostess was very welcoming. The barge was a very welcome sight at the end of a day of biking:-)

I am pleased to say that this 72-year old lady biked every day of the trip without needing an electric bike! In fact, I just might take another bike and barge trip. Many of my friends have expressed interest in joining our next adventure!

Thanks again!

Best Parts: Easy booking process, online Q & A instant answers. Safe bike routes, great time on bikes!

Most Memorable Part: Biking the rural/countryside of Holland

We just completed this trip (may 13 - 20), and loved the experience. The rural scenery was so lovely - however if you are looking for more than peaceful pastures and canals for 6 days, then this might not be the trip for you. The first day of biking was into a strong wind for 55 km which made it very challenging. I would recommend an e-bike! The bikes were very heavy, the gears changed easily, the saddlebags and bike locks worked very well. Although we had maps, 2 GPS, a discussion of the route by the captain....we still got lost every time we went through a city. There were several times that the map showed a road number however that number was not found on the road signs. The food was served family style and was plentiful. The boat was small but suitable for the 19 passengers, the bathrooms were tiny but there was plenty of hot water for showers.
Negatives - no ice for our water bottles; no fans or air conditioning for the couple of days that were extremely hot; our rooms were never cleaned; the captain tended to be curt; the maps were not always accurate.