Mantua a Venecia o Venecia a Mantua

It’s hard to pick one thing. The ride leaders & rides were awesome. They took the time to make sure there was a great bike fit. Food was spectacular everyday. Fresh and delicious. The crew were funny and knew their boat. Rooms were clean and ready for us when we arrived. And Venice to Mantova—perfect. I highly recommend this trip and this boat.

The Mantova to Venice trip cannot be broken into more or less memorable. It is just one great memorable experience. From the skipper who manoeuvres that large ship in tight spaces, to the chef and sous chef with their delicious meals, the skippers mate who cuts breakfast fruits with such delicacy and the guides who have such a knowledge and love of their country. All are top knotch. The itinerary varies with stops on the way to visit local places of interest so that one gets both exercise and to learn about the area.

The excellent Tour Guides! I felt totally safe on every outing! They were so attentive to everyone's needs and requests.
Informed us about the areas we visited.
They were very respectful at all times.

I loved everything about this adventure.
My ebike was easy to understand and to ride. The whole crew were so amazing, welcoming and attentive. Our meals were delicious. We rode through the countryside and along the river. At times we were on main roads..but not for long.
I had a memorable time on the Ava Maria, a very positive experience.I would definitely do it again.

What a great trip. This is the perfect choice if you are looking for a smaller boat and small crew. We really got to know the crew well and the other passengers. I enjoyed the guided bike tour and the Italian countryside is beautiful.

Biking through the Italian country site was fabulous. We enjoyed a day and evening walking tour of Venice, we biked through two islands, Italy's largest wetland, the delta of the Po River, and several medieval cities. Hats off to the chef, Silvia, her food was amazingly delicious. Our guide Elena was knowledgeable, very helpful, and friendly. The Captain and sous chef were amazing.

The guide (Hugo) was excellent and made the trip. His personality was great. Food on the boat was better than most bike and barge trips we have taken.

The barge crew were very helpful and friendly and the group of people on the bike trip were fantastic. The barge rooms were bad - very wet and humid. The beds were wet with humidity. All clothing were wet with humidity and the rooms smelled very badly. We turned on the A/C but it didn’t help with the humidity and smell. If we opened the portholes, condensation dripped down on the bed. 4 of us got sick and I think it was due to the bacteria in the rooms.

Our tour guides, Hein and Irene made the tour so special! The chefs, Alberto and Francesco were amazing. Captain "Van Gogh" was great. The tour was a blast from start to finish!

Fabulous trip!! We did this same trip 8 years ago
and returned again this summer with friends as it was our favorite trip… it did not disappoint!
Highly recommend….from the great scenery to the fabulous meals and amazing tour guides!

It’s awfully hard to pick out “the most memorable” part of the trip. The whole experience was great: the biking, the connections made with fellow riders, the crew, the food, the boat. It was all top rate. I guess I’d have to pick out the biking as the most memorable. The points of interest along the way were great. I loved the cheese factory, the glass blowing place, the carnival museum and the distillery. I probably wouldn’t have chosen to visit those places if on my own, but in the end I truly enjoyed them. The Ave Maria is a beautiful boat. The bikes were almost new and in excellent condition. The crew (and guides) made everything go smoothly. The chefs took my food intolerances seriously and made it easy for me to enjoy the food on board.

The general organization of the trip, and the great staff aboard!
Disappointed with the scenery along the routes - often quite monotonous

It was our first trip on a smaller boat and we enjoyed getting to know all the other bikers and also the crew. It was also our first trip with a guide(s) and it was nice to not be concerned with navigating. The guides were excellent and the mini tours we interesting. My only suggestion is it would be nice to know more about the lunch stop ahead of time so we could decide whether we wanted to bring a lunch or eat at the restaurant.

Biking by river Po, the visits to the distillery and cheese factory

The guides and staff were fantastic.

The trip was a wonderful way to see Italy minus the crowds.

The excellent crew, good food and beautiful bike rides and scenery.

The trip was well organized, our boat was comfortable and the food was incredible! The tour took us through quaint little villages and the arranged stops were all informative and enjoyable. My favourite was Grana Parma. We chose self-guided, and enjoyed the flexibility that gave. Sylvie took time each day to explain any potential areas of concern. Overall, a great experience!

Beautiful bike trails and amazing food! The boat staff were amazing and very friendly. The tour guide Sylvia was so very helpful to our group who did our own tour.

The staff was amazing, so friendly and very helpful. It was nice to see how they all worked so closely. The food was amazing. Great job.

The crew worked very well together, supporting each other.
Also, the fact that the number of guests was not large, contributed to a sense of community.
For suggestions: I couldn't get wifi in my lower deck room - as was true for others I spoke with, and had to go to the dinning room for service.

The most memorable moment of my trip was the guided tours through special viewings of Venice and surrounding islands to capture the true essence of the Italian culture is our expert tour leaders, Silvia and Marco. My favorite part was stopping through one of the smallest villages and see an elderly man raising the flag at noon, as he has done daily for many decades.

The crew was wonderful and made everythingspecial. The food was amazing. Would highly recommend this trip.

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 !