1 Star Italy Tour Reviews — 1 to 5 of 5
Betty N.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Venice to Poreč
Italy, Slovenia, Croatia
First of all, the itinerary: Days 1-4 are a waste of time. Don’t expect to see anything scenic or interesting for 4 days. First night/day 2 are in maestre, you may as well be in Akron Ohio. Boring, industrial, hotel is next to some car dealerships. Cycling begins with a trek through Maestre into Venice where you catch 2 ferries. BEWARE, ferry #2 takes max 4 bikes, as 28 lined up behind us to load only 4 every half hour. Some waited 3-4 hours to get on a ferry. Day 2 ends in Carole. What a dump. Cheap cheesy family destination for young families on limited budget, hotel smells of wet towels. The cycling is a grueling mix of relentless sunshine with nary a patch of shade, endless cornfields and gravel and dirt “roads”.
Did you want to see the Adriatic? You will have to wait, cornfields, and bumpy gravel roads await you. Occasionally we passed through some of the most unremarkable Read More towns that I never needed to know and will now forget.
Day three description reads: “ride towards the Julien alps”. Why even write this? You could write “ride towards Ireland” and it would be equally as relevant. There is not a hill or mountain in sight. Day three you wind up in Portogruaro. Another subpar hotel. Tiny tiny room, uncomfortable beds, more weird musty smells and poorly functioning AC. ( we paid for the hotel “upgrade”, I shudder to think what the base price rooms were.)
Finally at the end of day 4, suffering from Stockholm syndrome we encountered a few columns from an ancient Roman structure and took some pictures so our friends and family wouldn’t know what fools we were to be spending time in Italy this way. Aquileia is comparatively cute, but perhaps we were starved for scenery by then. There are probably 5 or 6 restaurants and there’s a pretty church.
Days 5-7 offer a bit more to see and we finally spend some time cycling by the Adriatic. The route provided to exit Trieste on day 5 was a one hour tour of shipyards and industrial parks, thanks for that. Slovenia and Porec were both charming. Most of our group were exhausted upon arrival every day, one gentleman was injured. Everyone seemed generally disappointed in the bike routes and the lack of scenery.
Hotels ranged from nothing special to downright bad throughout. I DO NOT recommend this tour. For reference, last year we did Norway cycle/hike and were blown away with the hotels, scenery, inclusions, route etc. Book that!
Tripsite Tour Advisor • 9 months ago Tripsite Staff
I also regret to hear that the accommodations and the overall experience fell short of what you were looking for. We take our customers' feedback seriously and continuously strive to improve our services. However, we want to clarify that the route has not been changed in recent years, and the majority of our reviews have been very positive, indicating that many travelers have enjoyed their time and experience on the tour.
While we can't undo Read More the past, we sincerely hope that this experience won't discourage you from considering another trip in the future. It's important to us that you find a tour that meets your expectations and allows you to have a memorable and enjoyable experience. If you decide to give us another chance, we would be more than happy to connect you with a customer who has completed the same tour so that you can hear firsthand about their experiences and get a better sense of what to expect.
Once again, we apologize for any disappointment and any inconvenience you faced during your tour. In any case, we appreciate your honest feedback. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
Thank you for your patronage, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you on another adventure in the future.
Kind regards,
Carla
POM
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
In April we took the Ave Maria tour from Venice to Mantova. The first two days we biked on busy highways next to large lorries, semis, and garbage trucks, one of which almost wiped me out. We were shocked at having to ride on these highways because here is the company description of this trip on this website...
"This cycling tour is largely along the flats of the Po plains, and the daily stages vary from 25 to 55 km – mostly on tarmac cycle paths along rivers and canals, or quiet country roads."
The first two days of this trip were not on QUIET COUNTRY ROADS. They were on heavily traveled highways, and they were dangerous and certainly no fun! We will never travel with this company again because they were not truthful about the roads and
paths. This was not a relaxing trip.
On a good Read More note...we had wonderful food on board. The chefs were amazing, and we looked forward to dinner every night.
The Ave Maria advertises air conditioning. It is true they have it, but they don't turn it on very often, like it is off all night, every night. So most of us had to sleep with our doors wide open. Our rooms were like saunas, with no windows to open. For that reason, I would not recommend this boat, no matter what tour it was on.
Jehiel from Tripsite • 5 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hi Pam, Thank you for sharing this feedback with us. We were quite surprised by your comments of highly trafficked highways or misleading description. I'm afraid you had a unique experience. The sections of the route that I believe you are referencing (leaving Chioggia, and then the crossing of two rivers (Adige and Brenta) on trafficked bridges) is protected by guard-rail. Tour Leaders always advise about this part, to proceed slowly, in a single line, and pushing the bike (2 min section). However, in your particular week, there was more traffic than usual, because many Italians had their Easter vacations (Easter and national Italian holiday). Apart from this, I can assure you that this cycling tour is largely along the flats of the Po plains, and the daily stages vary from 25 to 55 km – mostly on tarmac cycle paths along rivers and canals, or quiet country roads. As for air condition on the Ave Maria - during spring/fall, there can be cold or warm days, so it can difficult to balance when temperatures vary a lot in the intermediate seasons, as do clients personal preferences. We are sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations.
Marilyn Walker
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
We rode the entire week independently of the 30-person group, which is our preference. We requested beforehand, and received promptly, the GPX files for each stage, which we downloaded to our Garmin bicycle computers together with relevant open source street maps. We used the GPS directions as our primary navigation, and referred to the jigsaw puzzle of a tour map and the turn-by-turn directions in puzzling moments. All three references agreed very well, which is a great comfort. Tour Guide Michela provided us a separate walk-through every evening, clarifying points of confusion and explaining where the main group would be. Several times we met the group for special sightseeing tours. Otherwise, we did our own thing, took rest stops at our own discretion and ate the picnic lunch at places of our own choosing.
The bicycles were better than expected. We chose the e-bikes and count the expense as worth the money. The batteries were strong enough to carry us through Read More the 30-mile days with a couple of power dots left over. The seats were comfortable and the handlebars were especially comfortable to the wrist. The gears changed easily.
Needs Improvement
Plating the food before serving meant that a great deal was wasted. It would be more accommodating to serve family style, in bowls, so people can serve themselves what their appetite and inclination suggests.
The itinerary was generally okay, but we had to meet the boat or bus by appointment several times, which meant waiting around for hours at a time. Other bike-and-boat tours we went on were better organized to find the boat at the end of the day's ride.
Unsatisfactory
The company is proud of their cooking, but the quality was badly degraded by the excessive use of salt. Even those people who were indifferent to their salt intake agreed it was "very salty". The taste of the food was ruined by the cook's excess. Upon tasting the first night's dinner, I required that they make special salt-free dinners for me. Two nights they "forgot" and spoiled the food. The cooks should learn to make their food unsalted and let the guests add that seasoning at table. It will improve the dining experience for everybody.
The internet service was the worst I've seen since dial-up telephone modems. People wanted simple access to email and to post photos on social media, but were continuously thwarted by irregular service and severe deterioration, which seemed to be deliberate. For example, the night we were in Zelo, they announced there was no wi-fi at all because of the remote location, which was fishy to begin with. Next morning, we decided to stay on the boat for the day, which allowed me to observe that within minutes of the big group rolling away, they switched the wi-fi back on for the rest of the day, until that evening when it went to pieces again. There is no excuse for such poor service in this day and age.
Jehiel from Tripsite • 5 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hi Marilyn,
Thanks for submitting this feedback. We will be sure to share your suggestions related to food with our local partner.
As for the wifi, we mention on the boat page and in our travel information that the wifi, though free, is limited and based on usage. The boat uses a mobile hotspot - the speed is based on the usage of the guests and can be spotty. To guarantee reliable internet, we suggest purchasing an international phone plan or a personal hotspot while abroad.
I hope that despite these inconveniences you enjoyed your trip!
Eileen M.
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Sicily
Italy
This trip was a disappointment. We have done about a dozen trips with Tripsite and this trip was not up to standard. First of all there is garbage all over the sides of the roads. We had some of that in Sardinia, but this was the worst! We also had some poor accommodations. In Modica the imitation hard wood floors had buckled and I tripped over them. Also, at the end of a 62 kilometer day we arrived at the farm hotel and were told we had no reservation, despite the fact that we had a voucher for that hotel. We had to go an additional 4 k down a. Dry busy road late in the day. All in all, this trip is not up to your high standards!
Ida A.
6 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Heel of Italy
Italy
Ostuni was a lively, great city- a major contrast to the rest of the region which is apparently deserted until summer is in full swing. I also really appreciated having my bike replaced, but I obviously wish the standard bike I got in the first place were more appropriate for long distance rides.
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