Life On Board a Boat & Bike Holiday - In Photos

They’ll give you an insight into what life is like when you’re not on your bike and the different types of boat available, from canal barges in Holland to luxury yachts in Croatia. We're now on sale for 2021 departure and expect popular boats to fill up fast so if any of the tours below interest you, call our knowledgeable team on +44 (0) 1273 22406.

With thousands of islands along a 300 mile coastline and warm weather from early spring to late autumn, it's no surprise that Croatia is such a popular destination for a Boat & Bike holiday. From our first visit in 2014 to our most recent visit in 2019, we continue to be impressed by the impressive sights and the quality of the boats available.

Our first taste of a Boat & Bike holiday in Croatia came back in 2014 when Catherine and Saul spent a week on board the Romantica on the South Dalmatia tour. It remains one of our most popular tours and boats. First launched in May 2007, the premium class Romantica features 16 comfortable cabins, a spacious sun deck for sunbathing and relaxing, and a bathing platform for easy access to the sea.

The Romantica is available on the South Dalmatia and National Parks of Dalmatia tours.

Featured on the South Dalmatia Deluxe and National Parks of Dalmatia Deluxe tours, the elegant Melody is a popular choice for those looking for an extra class of comfort and style. After a day of cycling, sip on an ice cold beer while you take in 360° ocean views from the on-board hot tub.

The other premium motor yacht featured on the two deluxe Dalmatia tours is the Princeza Diana, the latter of which Andy and Ben tested out in April 2018. Here's what Andy had to say about the boat: "The Princeza Diana, named after the captain’s wife, is a three-masted, 131 foot long, beautiful motor-yacht. It was almost guaranteed that she would turn heads as we pulled into a port. The 16 cabins are all spacious, en-suite and air-conditioned and there’s plenty of deck space to relax - there’s even a hot tub!"

The Tarin is a striking yacht with a dark green hull and is the boat of choice for exploring the Istrian Coast. A 'comfort'-class boat, there's plenty of room on the spacious forward sun deck and upper deck and the crew always gets hugely positive feedback from our customers.

Captain Damir’s Linda is an attractive wooden motor yacht used on the Kvarner Bay tour. One of the bigger ships in the Croatian fleet, the middle sun deck is built to allow al fresco dining.

Another of the 'deluxe' class Croatian yachts, the Harmonia is currently featured on the Dubrovnik to Split Deluxe Boat & E-Bike Tour tour. Along with the large sun deck complete deckchairs and padded sun mats, there's also plenty of roofed outdoor space for those who prefer to relax in the shade.

Boat & Bike tours in Holland offer a style to suit anyone, with a mixture of canal, river and coastal routes available. Most tours start in Amsterdam but it's up to you where you go from there - loop south or east using the country's impressive canal and cycle path networks, explore Northern Holland's coastal sights or head all the way to Belgium on one of our most popular Boat & Bike holidays.

The recently renamed Princesse Royal barge (formerly the Magnifique) is one of seven barges sailing the Amsterdam to Bruges route. Tastefully decorated, she's ideal for sunny canal and river cruising with a hot tub and barbecue on the aft deck and two partly covered sun decks.

Building on the success of the Magnifique, the Magnifique II launched in 2016. For an extra level of comfort, there are four beautiful suites with large panoramic windows on the upper deck. Many of our team have stayed on or toured the Magnifique II and are on hand for personal advice.

Holland is not all canals and rivers, head north from Amsterdam for the wide, open IJsselmeer and Wadden Sea are home to pristine nature reserves, pretty fishing harbours and traffic-free cycle paths.

What makes the area even more unique for a Boat & Bike holiday is the boats themselves - beautiful schooners like the Mare Fan Fryslan. Completely renovated in 2006, the outdoor bar and jacuzzi is a popular place to relax and you even have the opportunity to assist the deckhands while sailing!

The Wapen Fan Fryslan is one of the other schooners available on the Holland's Northern Coast tour. The facilities are similar to the Mare Fan Fryslan but something unique to this boat is that all 12 cabins can be made up with double beds and all portholes can be opened.

The Danube River is a popular route for both Hotel & Bike and Boat & Bike tours. You can travel through up to six countries on one tour, covering the greatest distances with a combination of cycling and sailing.

The Art Deco style MS Theodor Körner is a traditional river cruiser which provides the accommodation on the Danube River - Passau to Vienna tour, on which you'll spend most of your time exploring the Austrian stretch of the Danube. The boat offers a wide range of cabins, all with large windows, and plenty of communal space. You'll stay entertained on board with music in the evenings plus a library and parlour games in the library - that's when you're not watching the scenery pass by from the sun deck.

The MS Carissima is a popular boat for exploring further along the Danube, either on the Danube River - 4 Countries - Passau to Budapest or Danube River - 6 Countries which travels from Germany to Serbia and back, via Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia. For a two week tour, you want a deluxe boat where you can feel like home. All 75 cabins on the MS Carissima are spacious and can fit either a double or two single beds. A true 'floating hotel', the boat features a wellness area with sauna and whirlpool and even an outdoor pool on the sun deck (June to August).

We're lucky enough to have customer and team photos of all three of our Italy Boat & Bike tours, which include a cruise along the Po in North Eastern Italy, sailing along the Amalfi Coast and island-hopping around Sicily.

The whole Freedom Treks and Ski Safari team spent a long weekend in March 2017 on the Ave Maria barge, cycling sections of the Mantua to Venice tour and for many getting their first taste of life on board a Boat & Bike holiday. The Ave Maria was designed specifically for cycling tours along the Po river and we found the cabins spacious and comfortable and there was plenty of room for relaxing in the salon and on the two sun decks.

The Caicco Sundial is another beautiful Turkish Caïque which sleeps 12 guests on the Sicily's Islands tour. The large sun deck equipped with comfortable mattresses and cushions makes a superb viewing platform while exploring the volcanic islands around Sicily.

France's Boat & Bike tours take place on its extensive river network, so you can expect river cruisers and comfortable barges.

The Caprice is one of two barges available on the Provence & Camargue tour, which follows the River Rhone from Avignon to the coast. A 'comfort' class barge, there is a restaurant, lounge with an open plan bar and a sun deck for relaxing.