Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova

This was my first trip to Italy and a Bike and Barge. I loved it!! The staff were amazing, the food was delicious, Sylvia and Helmet were so fantastic at guiding us through beautiful cities and helping when needed, the crew on the barge were always friendly. I'm ready to go back and travel with Sylvia again! Five Stars!

This was my first Bike and Barge and it was fabulous! The staff went above and beyond all expectations to make this event even more wonderful than I could have imagined. What a beautiful way to see Italy. A huge thank you to Sylvia and Helmet and ALL the crew!!!

My favorite part of the trip was touring Montova. This was our 3rd bike barge trip and I'm sorry to say that the scenery we saw while riding 3 of the 5 days was a bit disappointing. The barge and the food was the best of the 3 trips. We also rode a little too much along some busy roads without much of a shoulder.

Sights to ride to everyday except one when we were rained out. Crew including leaders, chefs, and captain. The food was amazing everyday with themed creations representing the area we visited. Better wifi in cabins too. More technology using laptop, TV screen, music, etc. Could use some more shelves, cubbies, hooks for gear in cabins. Faucets that pour water over the deepest part of the sink not so close to the edge causing water all over sink top.

There were several very memorable moments on this trip! Our guide, Hein and his wife Margolien were outstanding with their historical knowledge about every town we toured. That was an added benefit of which I had not expected. They were extremely passionate in sharing their information with everyone which made it so interesting. Another highlight for us was just the sheer beauty that surrounded us on the trails we traversed to each of our destinations. My wife and I are not really bikers but enjoy staying physically fit. She questioned whether she could do the mileage each day. The trails and picturesque views through the countryside took your mind off anything other than just appreciating God’s creation so you were never aware of whether you rode 10 miles or twenty. I could probably go on but will end my remarks with the view we were able to get of Venice as we pulled up to our mooring site on Pellistrina Thursday evening. What an experience. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys biking or just being outdoors. We would definitely do it again but maybe choose a little more difficult ride!!

The time spent touring around
Venice and the food on the boat!

Standing on top of the boat enjoying the view, especially the sunsets. Our guide and the crew were excellent.

Our local guide for the tour in Mantova spent far too much time in the church and no time on the archeological site in the middle of town.

Barge was nice, food and staff incredibly good. Stefania and Hein were very friendly, informative and helpful. My only criticism would be that there were too many bike riders, a couple who were inexperienced enough to veer over to my wife causing her bike tire to go off the pavement inciting a crash breaking her wrist necessitating shortening our trip and surgery at home to correct the break. Stefania was incredibly helpful throughout the ordeal helping Barb and I arrange a trip to the hospital in Adria, transportation by taxi and train back to Venice where were able to fly home early. All in all, the trip was that much more memorable in a complex way!

We had a great time on the Ave Maria and touring Northern Italy. The staff/crew of the Ave Maria were top notch. The bicycles provided were comfortable, very well maintained, and worked flawlessly throughout the trip. Our tour guides, Hein and Stefania, were knowledgable providing us with history, culture, and insight into and of our Italian surroundings. This was a trip well worth taking. If we were to do it again, we would book an earlier date to see active growing/harvest in the farmland.

Our Tour Guide, Hugo made the entire trip. His enthusiasm, knowledge and energy made for a very busy, exhausting and fun filled week.
The cuisine was out of this world. The ladies did such a wonderful job.

Wonderful itinerary. Incredible bike trails.
Terrific crew. The swim in the Adriatic was fantastic.

We saw such beautiful scenery and wonderful sites from ages past. But our tour guide made the trip for us. He was entertaining, informative, and we always knew what we were seeing. He welcomed our questions and kept us well informed of our next moves. He also put together an excellent video of our trip so I didn’t feel I needed to stop and take pictures of every little thing. He captured the trip beautifully. Also, the people we met I hope will be in my life from now on. Great experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.

The boat was high class, the crew & chef were excellent, the guides were fine, although their strong accent made it a little difficult to understand. The last 3 days were what I expected, learning the history of that area of Italy and interacting with the people and viewing their beautiful architecture. The first part of the tour had us going thru farm land, over paved and gravel roads and not so charming small towns. It was not what I expected and I would not recommend it to my friends. There are better trips to take in Europe.
I did get to visit and tour the beautiful cities in the Venetian isles, and that made the trip worth it.

loved the staff, the people on the tour. The boat was great, bike easy to ride

We loved this trip so much! Best tour guides - Francesco and Irena were not only knowledgeable about the area but both had a great sense of humour and fun. The crew were excellent and the food was amazing! The added plus was that we met some amazing new friends that I hope we stay connected with.

The six crew members from the Captain to the tour guides were absolutely wonderful. Each one played a role in making our trip so memorable. The daily trips and great evening meals to their camaraderie… Delightful.

Crew on boat went above & beyond to make our stay with them fun and enjoyable and help to make memories of a lifetime. The meals were amazing. The chefs were fantastic The tour guides were outstanding.

The crew was great, the food fantastic !

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

Staff/tour guides were outstanding. Highly recommend.

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.

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.

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

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).

The times together with others. Dinner, riding etc.

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.

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.

The trip was very good abd the staff was excellent!

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.

The food was outstanding. The cycling was very enjoyable.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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!!!❤️

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