Italy Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 31 to 60 of 316

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The food on board was outstanding. The chefs made every dinner like it was a high end restaurant. We spent days before and after the trip trying several mid range restaurants with top reviews, and none of them were even close to the food levels on the boat.

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

Venice and the surrounding areas were great to see. The food on board was amazingly good, really enjoyed by everyone.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

This was a decent trip. The crew was FANTASTIC and the food was much better than typical- very good. The barge itself is okay, not the nicest we've been on, but fine. No sundeck to lay and relax, just an upstairs area, undercover, with some tables and a lot of plastic chairs. The rooms and bathroom are small but nice. Towels and garbage are changed mid-week. The ride itself takes you through a lot of farmland with few sites. Mantova is nice, Lido is nice and the "tour" of Venice is a walk to the top of a department store for a nice view of Venice. If you want to really see Venice, spend an extra day or two and book tours in advance because Venice is VERY crowded. We booked an extra day in front for Mantova- not really necessary aside from time adjustment- and 4 days on the backend for Venice (3 would have been fine). We spent the last day on Murano and Burano islands followed by a catamaran ride around some islands. That made for a nice relaxing way to end our time there.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

This was our second Bike & Barge trip. If you are thinking about it, do it! Both trips were with a group of friends. We had a wonderful time together with the crew. I'd recommend going with a group of friends or family. This trip required longer distances which at times were a bit exhausting but much of that had to do with our pace and the weather. Most of the biking on this trip is in the countryside, not many towns to see. Arriving in Venice on the boat was incredible and a great way to end our trip spending two nights and a day in the city.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

From our first welcome on Saturday the week was wonderful. The meals were delicious, varied and healthy. Our guide Francesco , was patient, very careful and made sure we kept hydrated, as the days were hot.
The bikes were in good condition. I can’t fault our week, and would be keen to try another bike and barge holiday. Totally recommend.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

This trip was amazing! This was our 3rd bike/boat trip and it was the best by far. What made it so outstanding was the crew aboard the Ave Maria. Our guide, Francesco was always looking out for us, giving us the best ride possible. During the recent heat wave in Italy, he made changes to our itinerary by adding a pool option, riding earlier in the morning, and always made sure we were safe and hydrated! The food was amazing and fresh, prepared by our chefs, Irene and Danny. The meals were the best during our 3 week trip to Italy!! Our captains, Ricardo and Alberto kept everything running smoothly. I can’t say enough good things about this trip! The people we met while riding made this trip especially memorable! We are already talking about our next bike/boat trip for 2025!

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The combination of biking through the country, seeing the sights, smells, and sounds and then having cuisine that matches what we are engaged in with locally sourced food was amazing. Fantastico!

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Staff/tour guides were outstanding. Highly recommend.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

36 family members + 2 guides+ the Captain and his Crew = The Best Time Ever!

We had a glorious time on the Ave Maria and biking the trails and roads from Mantova to Venice. Stops at small towns along the way.....the cheese factory...the amusement park museum.....small cafes...beautiful churches in every town....then Venice....what a jewel!

Our compliments to you all. What a wonderful bike and barge trip. Highly recommended.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

An opportunity to see and bike the less traveled. The barge moored in quiet off the beaten path places - but each had something to offer. The crew on AveMaria was amazing, worked well together, made our travels very comfortable and the chefs were top notch. It would have been nice if half way through the trip the bed linens were changed out. We appreciated access to the wonderful cappuccino maker and access to chilled drinking water (both still and bubble). It would be helpful to include that guests should bring along their own water bottle. It was a very memorable adventure.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The trip allowed us to see the smaller cities and beautiful country side of northern Italy. The crew was outstanding and the food wonderful.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The boat itself, bike quality, the food and friendliness, professionalism and energy of the crew were top notch. The level of cycling is very easy.
Unusual for a Tripsite barge/bike tour, there were young children on this trip which had negative impact. It altered the adult vibe, caused extended wait times for that group to catch up and created very significant safety problems for the guides during highway crossings. Also, the breaks/stops were far too long (incl. a lunch break of over 4 hours in one case).

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The times together with others. Dinner, riding etc.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

I was surprised and impressed with the quality of the meals. Even though the breakfast / lunches were the same format, they varied them up in small ways (different types of eggs, different bread rolls, sweet pastry). All of the staff was top notch!

If you get a bunk cabin, bring a battery operated fan for the top bunk. While the cabin a/c works well, the top bunk will be several degrees warmer than the bottom.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

My husband and I travelled as a group of 8. The staff was fantastic. The Ave Maria barge was spacious and we loved the food onboard and the upper deck was fantastic to relax after the rides or before breakfast.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The trip was very good abd the staff was excellent!

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

Excellent trip, ver well organized. The hotels for the first three days were excellent, On the Ave Maria, the crew and the guides made the trip really, really enjoyable. The food was fantastic and the accommodation great. Would highly recommend to anyone.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

This was our first barge and bike trip. It exceeded hopes and expectations in all ways, organization, daily planning, leadership and communication by Elena and Alex who left no detail unattended to. They were caring, very knowledgeable and outstanding leaders, showing compassion and support for a struggling participant, while ensuring those struggles did not impact anyone else. Alberto and Elisa provided delicious, very high quality meals changing daily to meet our local geography and always with joy and enthusiasm. Riccardo's knowledge of his boat as captain and ability to immediately attend to any issues was consistently impressive. This experience has made us return home with a strong desire to book our next bike and barge trip as soon as we can.

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The food was outstanding. The cycling was very enjoyable.

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

There were many highlights.
Poppies growing in the fields, fantastic meals, especially the dinners, amongst them. Thanks to the crew for very efficient bike deployment in the mornings and end of day. Captain very skilled.
We are used to boating, so cabins quite good. However some type of screens on the portholes would make sleeping a bit more comfortable without as many mosquitoes and not having to use aircon so much - so a good investment to invent some screens.
On the biking side, keeping the group together was good, but having one day being more free to bike with map and explore on our own might be nice. However we understand the importance of not loosing anyone. Stops in shade would be better than in the sun.
Loved Georgio's sense of humour and depth of knowledge.
Overall a fantastic experience and first time at bike and barge!

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Our favorite day was probably our stop in Bergantino - we knew the cheese tasting would be fabulous. The stop at the Museum of the Ride was unexpectedly terrific - a real highlight.

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The crew on the boat was very accommodating; any issues with our cabins was readily addressed. The chef was excellent; one of the best we've experienced on the many bike tours we've been on. The menus included regional favorites and we all received a cookbook that included recipe favorites from several chefs.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

So hard to pinpoint any one moment. The crew, guides, chiefs, captain and assistant were all so fantastic and knowledgeable.

The only thing I can suggest is heated drying racks in the bathrooms and drying facilities for shoes.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The crew on the boat was fantastic. Hugo the tour guide was very knowledgeable and quite fun. Giorgia was very patient and extremely helpful. They were all great. I loved the food too. Hugo really went out of his way to make sure that we saw things and had a very full experience

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The food on board was amazing! I am a vegetarian the chef made sure my meals were amazing!

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Despite rain every day
The guides and ship crew were upbeat and wonderful
Nothing dried on the boat so bring rain gear
I was lent waterproof pants and that was a blessing
Need waterproof, not water resistant!!!
Plenty of caffè stops and the guides were very knowledgeable

Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Our Bike and Barge trip from Venice to Mantova was outstanding. The most memorable and valuable asset of this adventure was our guide Hein. Brilliant mind. His knowledge of Italy’s history, local traditions and culture made his talks fascinating. With his ability to speak 7 languages, no one was left out. Best yet: his sense of humour. He kept us fully engaged and laughing all week long!
But I can’t leave it at that. The entire crew was such a good team and just as much fun. Most important: the food was over the top gourmet quality. Restaurants can’t compete!! Hats off to our chefs and the entire team!! Thank you for making this trip a once in a lifetime!!!❤️

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The accommodations on board , the food, and the staff were excellent.

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

The dolomites were incredibly beautiful. The food aboard was the best we’ve had!

Scenery from Mantova to Venice was agricultural for the most part. A broad mix of surfaces to ride on and some detours on the self guided which could be confusing.