4 Star Provence - Wilderness of Camargue Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 30
Provence - Wilderness of Camargue
8 days from €1255
4.4 out of 5
Easy–Moderate Bike + Boat Tour in France
Amid the wilderness of Camargue and the landscapes that were so dear to Van Gogh, this bike and boat tour in France features delightful Provençal villages, vineyards, and fields of sunflowers. You…
Heather L.
6 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Provence’s history is very interesting & our guide, Alex showed us some less touristy archaeological sites. Loved cycling down shaded country lanes especially as the 90-95 degree heat in Sep was a struggle at times. Be prepared for potholes and gravel on many of those scenic backroads. Add a visor to your bike helmet to ward of some of the heat & keep your energy up. The L’ Estello had a lovely upper deck lounge & eating area. The cabins are small & do not all have the same amenities (hooks, storage). The bathrooms are quite small & for anyone over 5’7” hard to move around in. There is no separate shower stall therefore everything in the bathroom gets wet; you must remember to remove anything that you don’t want to get wet which is a daily task when cycling. Instead of a train from Paris to Provence, consider a flight to Montpellier; it is a 30 min taxi ride to Aigues Mortes. Good connections from/to your North American flight make it possible for you to avoid a layover in Paris or a 4 hr train (with transfers) ride.
Patricia W.
6 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Trip was good, food was good, routes were good, the condition on the roads / trails chosen were not the best but that is really out of the control of Tripsite. A bit disappointed that there were no cycling jersey's on the boat for sale as well as we did not receive a Tripsite pre trip gift as we had in the past for being a repeat customer.
Patricia K.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
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.
Sherry M.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
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.
Joanie F.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
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
Bonnie Q.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Food/staff were AMAZING!!!
I felt that the difficulty rating may have been slightly off. But the trip was overall fantastic!!
James W.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
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.
David M.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Arles (Van Gogh & Roman buildings), Barbegal Acqueduct, Les Baux, olive oil mill visit, Pont du Gard. Camaraderie on board the Caprice and while riding. The hospitality and warmth of the Caprice crew. So many other great sites and experiences too. Our guide Miki was great; bike routes were pleasant and relatively free of traffic interference. I felt safe while riding and saw a lot little things along the ride that interested and pleased me - things you don't see from a car, train, or bus.
One area needing improvement: Poor WIFI aboard the Caprice. Higher capacity and more reliable WIFI would have been appreciated.
Tripsite • 1 year ago Tripsite Staff
Hi David!
Thanks so much for submitting this feedback. We agree wifi is important when traveling and unfortunately wifi on boats can be unreliable. We have partnered MyWebSpot and use it when we travel. Hope this helps for future trips.
Thanks again!
Rose V.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
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.
deborah g.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Great aspects=the guide, food, staff
Less were the comfort of the beds and space in the bathroom
Elizabeth S.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
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!
Anne H.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
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.
Robert K.
3 years ago
Verified Reviewer
The crew was very helpful and engaging.
Jeanne H.
3 years ago
Verified Reviewer
The bicycle riding and scenery while pedaling is most memorable.
Rebecca H.
3 years ago
Verified Reviewer
The Ponte de Guard, the landscape and great food.
Great bicycles and charming and efficient staff.
The boat could use a wash line
Harold N.
3 years ago
Verified Reviewer
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.
Lorraine L.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
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!!!
Catherine Ann H.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Cycling through historic monuments and the Camargue wilderness was magnificent!
Prosper
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
This was my 5th bike/barge Tripsite tour and it was just as amazing as my first. The guide was knowledgeable and the group was an interesting blend of former and present U.S. Air Force personnel as well as Italians, Americans, French and Flemish. The weather in mid April was the biggest challenge with hailstorms and thunder, which made the trip all the more memorable.
The bull fights (humane but sad), the aqueducts, and the food, oh the food! As always a nice cross section of people who are like minded in their zest for life and the enjoyment of experiencing Provence at 11 mph at sea level. (Oh, and they do warn you about the hills and the wind, which I glossed over BEFORE we went). The reason I rated this a 4 Star is I'm reserving the top prize for something that knocks my socks off!
Debra King • 5 years ago
Thinking about a first trip. Which ones have you been on, and if you don't mind, please list with your favorite first.
Thank you so much!
Cheryl M.
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Amazing staff and great guide
Clive P.
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
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.
Peggy S.
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Now the areas for improvement: The bikes were not good enough for the Provence segment. We understood that we would be provided with 27 gear bikes, but Read More had an infinite gearing system instead, and the lowest gear wasn't enough for the hills we encountered. Those with electric bikes were happier. Also, through some poor communication between Tripsite and the tour operator, Girolibero, a part of the trip route that our group had been particularly interested in -- a visit to Chateau Neuf du Pape -- was no longer included. Hugo did his best, with a vote (which came out even) to see whether we should go to Chateau Neuf du Pape or take the shorter route that had been promised to the others on the trip. Then he flipped a coin. We accepted the decision as appropriate, but were disappointed that we had not got what was advertised through Tripsite.
Debbie S.
6 years ago
Verified Reviewer
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.
J. Farina
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
The trip was great! Mostly all positive. Tom and I would like to have the pace a bit faster....that was the only negative.
Ross Densky
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
This is the second barge and bike trip we took with Tripsite and I would have to say we liked the scenery more on the Taste of Burgundy than we did with Provence. Riding the in the Camargue got a little boring. Other than that we enjoyed the overall trip.
Rebecca Posante
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
My main concern about this particular trip is that we did not know ahead of time that staying on the barge and not biking was not an option unless one was sick. The winds were pretty bad (25-50 miles per hour) so that some of us did not feel up to the rides. On the particularly difficult day, it would have been nice to just remain with the boat.
Carla • 8 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hi Rebecca - Your concern has been voiced and heard! In 2016 it will no longer be policy that you cannot stay on board. You are welcome to stay on board and there will even be suggestions on activities for non-bikers.
Robert Burt
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
The Soleo was a disappointment in all respects.
George Bibeau
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
More time in certain areas would have been nice. There were instances where it felt like we were being pushed along, and I appreciate that we had 22 people of varying age, skill experience and physical ability, and that we have to get back to the boat. Our guide was very good, but you needed to try and understand his manner, which could be short at times. He was knowledgeable, insightful and caring, but his manner did not necessarily reflect that. Meals were good but thought it would reflect more French cuisine of the Provence area, not a complaint, just an observation.
Staff was excellent and I continue to recommend this bike trip and company to friends."
Pam Crespi
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
This was our 4th trip with Tripsite - very reliable and good value.
Christel Mikelic
8 years ago
Verified Reviewer
The bike part was more challenging than in the discription. You have to be a strong biker used to hills. There are many hills and one very challenging hill. So I would not consider this an easy tour as in the description. However it was well worth the effort if you are well trained. Our guide Wiro was awesome and kept us together and on time which was very much appreciated. I would recommends this trip in spring or early summer. By the time we went end of August the vegetation was all dried up and there were no flowers because they had such a hot dry summer. I prefer a comfort plus boat as you have more space in your cabin. These cabins were very small. However all in all it was a beautiful, historic and worth while tr which I would recommend to avid cyclists.
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