Butterfield & Robinson
If you want to stay at the most luxurious accommodations, eat the best food, and be catered-to every step of the way, this is the company for you. Oh yeah, we forgot to mention: money is no object, right? Yes, you’re paying more, but with B&R you are getting “The Ritz” in level of quality of service and accommodations. However, they balance every trip with home-hosted meals ... this means that Michelin-starred meals may be followed by in-home cooking lessons from gracious hosts or friends of B&R. As a company that started as a student biking trip in 1966, they are one of the pioneers of the bike touring industry.
Companions: Get ready to meet 45-year-old heart surgeons and their wives (or husbands!). No problem going single, you do have to pay for a single supplement if going it alone. Our experience is that their guests are often serious cyclists, and equally passionate about food and wine.
NOTE – Although B&R has the reputation of providing the highest quality trips, they provide many less expensive alternatives via self-guided and daytime-guide-only options.
- Operator Type:
Full-Service Operator - Website:
http://www.butterfield.com/ - Price Tier:
$$$ - Avg Price Per Day:
$650-800 - Services:
Bike Provided, SAG Van, Tour Guide - Country:
Argentina, Asia, Australia, Austria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Laos, Morocco, Myanmar, New Zealand, Patagonia, Portugal, Romainia, Slovakia, South Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, United States, Vietnam
10 Reviews
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I have been on 10 trips, hiking and biking, with Butterfield & Robinson over the past years. Their trips are well planned, and the guides are excellent, but the attitude and accommodation of their Toronto office is very disappointing. I was scheduled for an 11th trip at the end of this past summer, then a medical emergency occurred that precluded those dates. I contacted the B&R representative with whom I booked the trip and explained my circumstances. I asked, not for a refund, but a credit for the same trip in October or in 2024. I was told that was impossible to do. I then sent a registered letter to the CEO of the company explaining that I had expected more flexibility for my demonstration of loyalty to B&R. They never wrote back to me. In addition to the enrichment of the experience these trips have forged strong friendships with some of my fellow travelers and an affinity with the guides. I expected a friend of B&R to be treated better.
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Just returned from Holland biking rated ‘easy’ and paying extra for electric bike. Reviews on their website suggest that this trip is ok for inexperience bikers. Riding through crowded Dutch cities dodging bikes, cars and trams while following complicated route notes on a bike that 4 of us got no training on was a disaster and not ‘easy’. It might be flat but it is not always the bucolic countryside on their website. You have to get to the countryside from the center of a city. Needed some training on how to manage the extremely heavy bikes especially on tight turns and speed control. Guides simply said ‘you’ll get used to them.’ Major crashes resulted in three travelers abandoning biking. Hotels and meals fine, but everyone complained that we had no guide at the back of the pack resulting in riders getting lost everyday. Overall not worth the cost unless you are an experienced biker.
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I just returned from and B&R trip in France and cannot say enough good things about the trip and the guides. The really work hard to make the trip wonderful. I developed Knee problems on the trip and had to limit my biking and they rented and had delivered a tandem bike so that I could continue riding with them. They encouraged me to rest my legs when it got too painful. I don’t think you can ever top that.
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B&R may be the most money, and I guess that is primarily due to the hotels, but it is the thorough trip planning and the type of people that makes the difference … One day it started to rain hard at the end of the ride. It was too close to bother getting in the van. When we arrived at the Chateau hotel, we were escorted to our room by the guide and found a tub filled with hot water and surrounded with candles. It was an incredible moment and that had nothing to do with the price of the trip. Their service is top-notch.
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I’ve taken several trips with Butterfield & Robinson and wouldn’t consider any other group. The service (before and during the trip) is fantastic. I would (and do!) recommend them. We have made many long-lasting friendships with the people we met from our tours.
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Half the hotels were charmless. The food was so-so and once was inadequate. My husband had severe leg cramps, it was raining and dark but the guide refused to call the van. I had a bad accident on the 5th day resulting in 10 stitches on my face and the same guide remarked that had my helmet been on tighter it wouldn’t have happened. He never mentioned my helmet to me in the 4 previous days. Very unprofessional, very arrogant. Way too much money for such poor quality of guides and services, not to mention continually riding on roads with cars.
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What’s not to like? The hotels were fantastic, the food was top-rate and the guides took care of us every step of the way. Be sure to partake of the gourmet goodies in the van!
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B&R is a very good company, at the high end of the scale. Appreciably more expensive than some but they stay in the top places available in the area – often converted castles or chateaux. In our experience os several trips with them, they use excellent bikes, good guides (often 2 for 22 participants), gourmet food, good choice of roads, good maps. Tend to be less strenuous than some outfits – shorter distances per day and fewer/shorter hills for the same level of trip.
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After having taken a lot of Backroads trips, I thought B&R was going to be a more expensive version of the same thing. It’s not. The level of accommodations, food/wine and service cannot be compared with any other company. If you want the best, this is the only company to travel with.
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We have stayed at Memories of Provence twice now and would go back again. The proprietors Neil and Natalene are superb hosts. Their home is charming, they go out of their way to make you feel welcome and meet whatever needs you may have. Neil has spent a lot of time planning out different bike routes and letting you know points of interest on each ride as well as suggestions for places to stop for lunch or coffee. They provide you with a wonderful dinner every other night as well as breakfast and wine each day.
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