Bike and Boat Holiday
Traveling by bike and boat is really something special: you can explore the region around the navigable waters by water and on land. No need to pack your suitcase every day, you can spend the day on your bike and get to know the country and its people. If you don't feel like getting on your bike, you can simply stay on board, read a good book on the sun deck, and chat with your fellow passengers.
On this page, you will find the most popular ships, voyages, and regions. For newcomers on board, you will also find information that will help you find the right trip. At the bottom of this page, you will also find some travel reports from our enthusiastic bike and boat guests. You will quickly realize - no two trips are the same and each one has its own special charm.
We are already looking forward to your next vacation by bike and boat!
Our tip:
As capacities are quickly exhausted, experience shows that trips by bike and boat are booked earlier than our normal cycle tours. So if you decide early, your preferred ship is more likely to still be available on the date you have chosen!
What is so special about a cycling and boating holiday?
Experience the region by bike and on board!
This sounds obvious, but boat trips have a very special character: while the landscape passes by, you can enjoy relaxing hours on the sun deck. Once ashore, you can explore the most beautiful routes, landscapes and places by bike. You can chat with your fellow passengers in comfort and let the crew spoil you at dinner. If you grew up far away from navigable waters, the daily tasks of the crew - passing through locks, mooring and casting off in the harbor - are also exciting highlights of the trip!
You don't have to cycle every day.
You can easily skip a cycling excursion on a bike and boat trip. Would you rather spend your vacation day with a good book on the sun deck? Then go for it. As you are under no pressure to reach the next hotel, it is entirely up to you whether you want to cycle or not.
This is particularly appreciated by families with children who may not want to cycle every day. So do couples or other travel groups with different expectations of how active their active vacation should be.
You open and stow your luggage once, not every day.
When you move into your cabin on board, you unpack your luggage at the beginning of the trip and only pack it again at the end of your vacation. As your floating hotel accompanies you, there is no need to pack your suitcase every day on a normal cycle tour.
Ship cabins are not hotel rooms.
The cabins on the ships are a little narrower, the furnishings may be simpler - after all, you are spending your vacation on a ship and not in a five-star hotel. That's exactly what makes a bike and boat trip so cozy and special. The facilities and comfort vary greatly from ship to ship and from trip to trip!
So take a close look at the ship descriptions, the information on cabin facilities and the photos. A familiar wooden ship off the Croatian coast such as the MS Planka, the comfortable premium ship MS Magnifique II with whirlpool on the sun deck and the impressive three-masted clipper Elizabeth on the IJsselmeer could hardly be more different in terms of equipment and comfort.
You'll get to know your fellow travelers!
Guests on the same ship will get to know each other much more quickly than guests staying at the same hotel. After all, you spend the entire time of your bike and boat trip together. So you can look forward to interesting conversations with people who are just as enthusiastic about spending their vacation in the fresh air, on the water and on two wheels! The atmosphere on the ships is casual and friendly throughout. But don't forget this aspect when choosing your trip and ship:
Are you more the type for a comfortable river ship like the MS Prinzessin Katharina, which offers plenty of privacy with its large cabins, restaurant and bar despite having around 140 guests?
Or would you prefer to spend your bike and ship vacation on a familiar wooden ship, the MS Aneta? On board, you will inevitably get to know all of your 20 or so fellow travelers due to the lack of retreat options. In busy ports in the high season, when ships are moored next to and next to each other, you will also quickly strike up a conversation with the guests on board the other ships.
The captain and tour guide take care of planning the trip and route.
On a bike and boat trip, you leave the freedom of a classic cycle tour - cycling at your own pace, taking breaks, the route you take - in the experienced hands of the captain and tour guide.
The arrival date is naturally tied to a fixed date and time. After all, the captain also has to adhere to lock and tide times. On the way ashore, the tour guide takes charge: the speed on the bike is chosen so that everyone can cycle along comfortably. So it doesn't necessarily have to be your pace. Breaks are taken together.
So you give up some freedom, but gain a great deal of security: after all, the crew know the area inside out. You stop at the most beautiful places, never miss a turn-off and are back on board in time for dinner. And should unexpected obstacles arise, there is always someone nearby who can help.
It is also important to mention:
The actual itinerary may differ from the planned one, as you are dependent on wind conditions and water levels on the ship.
This goes without saying, as your safety is the crew's top priority.
