Ave Maria

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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.

  Ave Maria Bolzano – Mantua – Venecia
Italia

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

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

Staff/tour guides were outstanding. Highly recommend.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

The times together with others. Dinner, riding etc.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

The trip was very good abd the staff was excellent!

  Ave Maria Bolzano – Mantua – Venecia
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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 Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

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

  Ave Maria Bolzano – Mantua – Venecia
Italia

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.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

This is an unforgettable trip that everyone should take! The guides, chefs, crew and captain were all knowledgeable, kind and fabulous!

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

The crew, guides, and food were great - Thankyou for a wonderful time. The Ave Maria is a very well appointed barge. The trip exceeded expectations and we have taken several bike and boat tours with Tripsite.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

Our crew and tour guides were fantastic. Not to mention the food onboard was outstanding.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

This was a trip of a lifetime for me. Hein and Marjolein were wonderful trip leaders and so knowledgeable about the cities we visited. They made the trip a delight and handled any glitches that arose seamlessly. It helped that they had lived in the area for several years and were familiar with the customs and history of the Veneto.
The food provided by Alberto and Daniele was superb and plentiful, and reflected the cuisine of northern Italy. And Jano was amazing at piloting the Ave Maria through the canals and lagoon. Francesco did a great job anticipating and fulfilling our requests throughout the trip.
The Ave Maria was a perfect vessel for our weeklong tour of the Po River valley of northern Italy. The staterooms were very comfortable and had ample room for two people and their belongings. It was very interesting to hear about the transition of a derelict barge into the sleek Ave Maria that was our home for a week.
I would love to do another trip with this group to explore a new area of Europe in the future.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

The trip was awesome. Everything was 1st rate. We loved all of our staff. Each person on the staff went the extra mile to make the tour very special!

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

This was our second bike and barge with tripsite. It exceded our expectations. The room had plenty of storage, the staff was outstanding and the meals were all excellent. Our tripsite vacation was perfect.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

Ave Maria is a beautiful comfortable well equipped boat. The staff was courteous, helpful, pleasant and efficient. The food absolutely the best! plentiful and with great variety. Our tour host Hein and Mayleine were awesome. They were well informed about the historic and local areas that we traveled thru and were humorous, kind and considerable for all the guests needs and abilities.
The tour was a well planned route thru some lovely back roads and small towns and cities. The bicycles were very good and easy to ride. It is very difficult to choose just one memorable part of the trip it was well worth the time we waited to enjoy the Boat/Barge.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

Seeing venice on a sunny day from the roof of an historic building.
Biking through the countryside and villages.
Excellent food.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

Arriving into Venice on the Ave Maria. In beautiful Lido we turned in our bikes and by the way they were terrific bikes. I even named mine. I hated to to see "Lisa Marie" go into storage but what came next was even more spectacular. To arrive in magical Venice by boat on a glorious fall day with brilliant sun glistening off the buildings and the water was breath-taking. The fact that the crew had arranged pizza and cocktails only added to the experience. And then that sunset! What a day!

  Ave Maria Bolzano – Mantua – Venecia
Italia

Enjoying all the regions of Italy with the chefs coordinating the evening meals with regional specialities was a delight. Everything was so well executed....bikes..tours...meals....coffee stops...museum and cathedral visits...super fun.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

This was an absolute memorable trip! Our guides Sylvia and Francisco did everything possible to make sure we enjoyed. The brought on tours, day an night. The food was great food. The cooks and engineers were great. The quality of the bikes were perfect. Having 31 guests was great because it is easy to get to know everyone. I would definitely recommend

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

It isn't possible to pick out a "most memorable part." We will treasure memories of it all: the delightful and accommodating crew on the Ave Maria, the extraordinary food (where did those two men train?), the city guides that lead us around Venice and Mantua, the beautiful countryside viewed from excellent bikes, our always upbeat bicycling guides, and the terrific company of fellow bikers. It was the perfect up close and personal way to experience this part of Italy.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

Crew was amazing. Everyone helpful. 30 person biking too big. Suggest it be split into 2 15 person groups.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

The boat crew, Andrea, Dani, Alberto, Francisco and the two Stefanias were such excellent hosts. They created a friendly community atmosphere that brought all of us strangers together. They worked hard to make sure we were well taken care of on board and on the bikes and taught us so much about the culture, the ecosystem of the Po Valley and history which made the trip an educational experience. The local and regional meals they serverd were culinary masterpieces as memorable as any artwork we saw. I highly recommend this trip to cyclists of all ages and abilities. I would like to do it all over again! Thanks for a fun and exciting trip.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

Lovely route, wonderful guides, comfortable accommodations. Absolutely superb food!

Bring your own water bottle - despite the tripsite literature, one is not provided

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

Very well organised trip - the tour guides Silvia & Francesco were outstanding. Full of life, informative and funny.
The boat , Ave Maria, was very comfortable and well set out.
The bikes were excellent - we had electric ones.
The scenery, countryside and towns were lovely.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

The food on the trip was excellent. We enjoyed the local fare, the wine pairings from the various regions .
The crew work very hard to deliver a positive experience . Helmut was a great guide offering lots of information about the different places we stopped at. We loved the cheese factory tour and tasting

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

Seeing Italy from a closer perspective than on most tours.

Bikes worked well, and the food and tour guides were excellent

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

The most memorable part of the trip for me was riding our bikes in the country between towns. We were able to see the crops in the fields, and the beautiful countryside dotted with houses and the green vegetation of spring. We were in Italy in early May and the weather was perfect - not too warm but not cold either. A particular highlight was riding along a canal and seeing the Ave Maria ahead of us. We speeded up, of course so that we could pass the boat, greeting the captain as we rode by. He responded by honking the horn and putting music on the loudspeaker for us to enjoy. The food was another highlight of the trip. We had fantastic, filling breakfasts, and delicious traditional Italian food for dinner each night. The chefs explained the courses, and where the recipes originated. We were able to nourish our minds and bodies together. Our group was immediately cohesive, and we had lively entertainment every night from card games to karaoke singing. The trip was one of the best I have ever experienced, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to experience biking in Europe.

  Ave Maria Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua
Italia

The 6 member crew of the Ava Maria was fantastic. Food was excellent and the barge accommodations were very nice. I was in a deluxe cabin with a window that opened and the cabin was very spacious and the water pressure in the shower was great and the beds were very comfy. TripSite stated we would be provided with a water bottle for our bikes but we were not which was difficult because a standard bottle of water would not fit in the bottle holder on the bike. WiFi only works in the main dining room which was OK. Bikes are in great condition and the bike guides (Helmut and Alex) were great. There is a fair amount of street riding with some traffic but the guides keep you safe. No diet coke on the boat but they allowed us to bring on our own soda.