Van Gogh Tours:  vangoghtours.com  

I've done three tours with this company and plan to do more.  Here's why: 1. They hire local folks (frequently natives) as guides.  2. They choose lodgings that are centrally located, so you can park your bike and then walk all over.  I've looked at other companies that stay in flossier lodgings that are way out of town (let's face it, aristocracy didn't build their castles near anyone or anything else), so you're marooned and can't go exploring. 3.  All lunches and some dinners are on your own.  4.  The bike rental fee is included.  The hassle factor of bringing my own bike is too high. I did that once and will never do it again. - Erika, Seattle, WA

Van Gogh is great!  The bicycle routes are interesting, the food is delicious, the accommodations are unique and often luxurious.  Most importantly the tour guides are well-organized, relaxed, and lots of fun.  I've been on 4 trips . - Christina B, Cambridge, MA

We took the self guided North Holland tour.  Holland was flat, had a lot of bike trails, and almost everyone could help us in english.  Van Gogh did a good job picking the routes, the things to see, the meals, and the hotels. The tour was not that expensive either. The only cloud on the whole trip was some difficulty following the directions, but we only made a few short detours. - Paul & Laura, Dayton OH

My husband and I have tried 3 bicycle tour companies, and Van Gogh is our favorite. The rides are well organized, the food and lodgings are great, and we always make friends.   We're in our 30's and enjoy meeting bicyclists of all ages -- teenagers through senior citizens. - Christina B., Providence, RI

I was amazed at the value of the tour!  The meals were amazing, the rides and support were even better.  I have gone with bigger names, but this was the best expereince I have ever had! - E. Reed, Medford, MA

Although VGT may not have the variety of tours that some of the larger companies have, they have a nice variety of mainstream as well as off-the-beaten-path biking tours. I've been biking with VGT for 10 of their 16 years and couldn't be happier with their commitment to making everything "Just Right". There's only one brochure a year which might account for part of the way they keep their prices far lower than comparable companies while offering extremely high quality and incomparable service. ... The groups are kept small, less than 17, and the hybrid bikes are kept in tip-top shape. The 3-5 star hotels are often smaller family run hotels. VGT welcomes all levels of bikers but if there's a time when you don't feel like biking, just hop in the van and ride along with the lonely van driver who is never far behind, providing even the slowest biker a sense of security. People from all walks of life enjoy VGT and become part of the Van Gogh family. Whether you come as a single, family, couple or as part of a group it really doesn't seem to matter, VGT makes everyone feel welcome. - Nancy Croft, Cleveland, Ohio

Van Gogh Tours is led by the owners, who provide a relaxed bicycling pace in primarily rural settings. The tour guides are knowledgeable about the area, and on the particular tour I selected, the accommodations allowed for 2 nights' stay at each of three spots. Food was an especially enjoyable feature. The guides, Mike and Huibertha, do a good job of accommodating their guest and keep the groups small. - M. Daniel, Charleston,IL

We used Van Gogh for a self-guided tour of Burgundy, and had mixed feelings about it. They messed up our first night's reservation so that we initially arrived at an inn that had no record of us and no bikes or touring maps. The bikes were heavy clunkers with problematic gears; every minor hill felt like the Alps. And the tour directions occasionally left us totally befuddled. On the other hand, the accommodations were uniformly pleasant with meals that ranged from satisfactory to very good, and with proprietors that were friendly and helpful. -Stan, Seattle, WA

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