Italy Bike + Boat Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 382

The crew and tour guides were fantastic The food was great
The bike ride itself was not for all levels of bikers...lots of city biking that made many riders nervous. A large guided group made it difficult to keep everyone together, causing large gaps
The sites were sometimes great and other days just riding along a dyke with not much to see
The tour guides Hein and Marjoleine were very knowledgeable and interesting to listen to
The unfortunate plumbing issue on the boat upon embarkation wasn't ideal but they moved us upstairs to another room and others were put up in a hotel for 2 nights...they were dedicated to resolving the problem which was done on day 3.

This is our third bike, boat, and barge tour. The barge vessels create a cozy and friendly atmosphere with the crew and fellow cyclists. The Vita Pugna crew offers excellent service. The meals were delicious and freshly prepared with regional products from each area we visited. Michaela, the bike leader, was energetic, meticulous, and knowledgeable. We used e-bikes to enjoy the ride; the trail is flat and suitable for regular bikes as well. Everything was clean. The barge could use a cosmetic refresh, but overall, the vessel is great.

Thirteen years ago we took one of our favorite family vacations aboard the Ave Maria from Mantova to Venice. We decided to recreate the trip with (now adult) children and their partners. The only week that worked was in the opposite direction and on the Vita Pugna. Before we knew it, we had other friends and family sign on and we filled 9 of the 10 cabins. As the trip approached we were concerned that the reality would not meet our memories or that a different direction or boat might lessen the experience.

We were thrilled to find out that any such fears were unwarranted. From the moment we boarded the Vita Pugna in Venice until the sad day we departed in Mantova, we had an absolute blast. The boat is not opulent, but very comfortable and well appointed. The food was excellent -- the wonderful Silvia not only made delicious meals every day, but nimbly adjusted to a number of us with different dietary tastes and restrictions. Our pursor/sommelier/captain in training Michele was a joy to be around and will make an outstanding captain soon. The captain, Ricardo (Bugy), was so helpful and fun and we thoroughly enjoyed interacting with him. And Giorgio, our fearless leader and guide, was funny, informative, patient, experienced and a pure joy to be around. The entire crew spent an enormous amount of time helping us to enjoy our trip.

The trip was simply fantastic.

I loved the small family-like atmosphere of the boat. I also loved the built in guided tours.

food, the crew, the bike leaders, both. the boat was very nice. Perfect again!!

The rich and varied vegetation on the islands!! the sparkling blue water surrounding the islands! Stunning views! Food onboard was so delicious! The family that owned and worked the boat were very friendly and inviting!!

This family run adventure is the perfect way to explore the Aeolian Islands. The Sundail ship provides an intimate atmosphere to interact with the other guests during your week adventure.

The diversity of the islands from one to another. Each was uniquely beautiful and different. Also the sailing between the islands was wonderful and so relaxing.

I most appreciated the small group experience. there were only 18 on our tour and it was perfect. Our group of 6 booked a year ago so we could get a spot on the Vita Pugna and I was very happy with it. I cannot imagine have a group bigger group, perhaps 30 and I think that would have slowed down our progress on the bikes immensely. This size group I felt like we all had the opportunity to meet others, enjoy the company of different people each meal, but also got to know them a little bit. I was also very happy with the support and service of all of the staff (Capt Bugie, Silvia, Michael and Hugo)

Great staff, incredible food, comfortable boat, and a great tour with fun and memorable stops such as glass factory, cheese factory, grappa wine tasting, and a carousel tour - so much fun with a great group of people!

Great company. Excellent guide in Hugo. Very knowledgable passionate..Great food excellent staff

Excellent route, amazing view. Quite a wonderful adventure in discovering beautiful parts of Italy.

We had perfect weather. The chef prepared great meals. The course had a variety of biking areas even though we had a number of closed roads and even a broken lock for the boat. The staff quickly developed alternatives to the original course.

It was a wonderful trip but we didn’t travel very far and we seemed to rush through some towns for no reason and then just be on the boat for a long time docked somewhere. The whole crew was wonderful but the schedule didn’t make much sense to me.

The trip was made more enjoyable by having a great tour guide, Hein. His local knowledge of history, culture and traffic patterns proved to be invaluable. The boat staff overall were also very accommodating and the food preparation superb. Even when we had a slight water leak in our cabin during overnight heavy rain, the crew expressed concern and responded quickly to the issue. Some suggestions for future tours include: 1) Providing name tags for the guests on the first day 2) Look into ways to improve the air flow within the cabins.

Overall we could recommend this tour and look forward to our next adventure.

Great Trip!!
Amazing leaders on the barge.
Would suggest everyone to take
this trip. Venice to Mantova.

It was an excellent tour. It was a beautiful boat and the 3 staff were family comprising of the Captain,the chef and the onboard person who worked tirelessly to ensure we had the best trip. They were all wonderful and the food was sensational. Our guide Jochin was brilliant. He had a gentle manner and a good communicator. His knowledge of all the places we went to was excellent and he planned our daily trips with care and thoughtfulness. Nothing was too much trouble. It was a good group and a great bond between clients and staff.

The boat and crew were fantastic. The bikes were the best we have experienced so far doing these kinds of trips. Some wonderful excursions and side trips while biking . A few things could be improved upon I think. We all arrived (group of 10) in Mantova and ended up dragging our luggage through town (on sometimes very cobblestone bumpy streets) to get to the boat. Have heard this happens a lot. Taxi/uber service is kind of non-existent. For any older travelers the option of dragging luggage would not be realistic. Something need to be set up for customer pickups. Also, I know from talking to the tour guides that the amount of time we get to spend in Ferrara is an issue. It's a wonderful city and we were in and out much too quickly. Not sure there is an answer to this. Overall an amazing trip with a crew that seemed to be having as much fun as we were.

The crew were amazing how they worked together and made everything flawless.

Loved the whole trip. It is not just a bike & barge tour. Time to tour the cities you stop at is provided.
We did end up with a rainy afternoon, but the tour was flexible enough to work around this.
The crew were wonderful.

It was a wonderful trip! It was the perfect mix of biking, sightseeing, walking tours and fabulous food. The staff was helpful and personable. The cabins were small so we were glad we packed light. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for a relaxing and fun vacation.

Easily the people. The staff were so knowledgeable and friendly I felt like I was part of a family vacation. I have never traveled abroad before and the personal connection with the group that the staff displayed made things go smoothly no matter where we were.

It’s hard to pick just one thing that made this trip outstanding - the food was outstanding- better than I had at restaurants in Venice and Florence - and they accommodated my vegan diet. Biking, touring, and dining with people from all over with an entertaining and knowledgeable guide and crew was just the best. The scenery was beautiful and the little side tours, including to a grappa winery and cheese producer to break up the day were so much fun. A great combination of touring and biking.

1st I have to complement Claudia for all her help! The crew of the Vita Pugna were exceptional, particularly George our guide. This was our 4th boat bike tour in Europe. I would not recommend anyone cruising on the Vita Pugna. The walls were paper thing and we got one good night's sleep. We asked the people next to us 2x to be quiet. They kept talking to late in the night and we felt we were in the room with them. The meals and chef were excellent. Captain was the hardest working one I have ever seen. I definitely would go with this crew on another boat in the future. Bikes were good. Touring/ sites were special. Some people should have rented ebikes as we had to wait up to as 1/2 hour at times for them to catch up and we were not going fast. Crew was extremely helpful both at the beginning during and at the end of our tour. Back to Claudia. she answered all of my questions. Help us get on the right transportation from the airport to the island of Quidecca, where we stayed in a hotel the night before the trip. We met 4 other couples at the hotel. Only difficulty we had was finding the boat on the date of departure. I was unable to load the map for direction. We were finally able to find the boat. I would recommend a separate email at the end with the necessary directions/ map to the boat. One more time I need to mention how much I appreciated Claudia's and the other tour specialists. You were the best I/ we ever have had! Thank you. Steve and Barbara Ferrin.

We loved our bike and barge trip from Venice to Mantova. The guides were helpful and friendly, the barge was extremely comfortable, the chefs were masterful and the scenery was gorgeous! It was one of the best bike and barge experiences we've had.

We had the best of many worlds on our trip. Patient, helpful and friendly guides; outstanding chefs; competent and patient captain and crew. The scenery was gorgeous and we especially loved the areas around Venice and Murano. Our cabin was super clean and comfortable. And our fellow travelers were so easy to be with. We noticed the shower was actually the biggest shower we used during our three weeks in Italy! A little rain towards the end of the trip, but nothing anyone can do about that.

Venice back canals. Swimming in adriatic sea. Feedback bikes should have mirrors or tell people to bring them.

The cruise was interesting and extremely well organized. The tour guide, Hugo, was exceptionally good and well informed. He was a very good riding guide and for tours of the cities we visited, and he adapted to changes in weather very well.

This was our fifth bike and boat trip in Europe and was by far the best one yet! The captain Salvatore, first mate Angelo, and chef Vanessa are the boat owners, and took great pride in making this an unforgettable adventure. The Sundial is a very comfortable and clean boat, our room and private bath had lots of space for clothing, suitcases and all essentials. Bed and pillows comfortable. Air conditioning was kept on until midnight, so we kept windows open and fan on throughout the night so that it didn't get hot after AC was turned off (we went in mid/late September so the night temps were pleasant). There is good space on the boat for lounging after biking, either in sun or shade. Each day after biking the captain found a place to anchor so we could swim. The food was phenomenal, with a variety of seafood, pasta, cured meats, cheeses, breads, desserts, etc. There were always baskets of chocolates in the dining area for us to enjoy anytime. Bar was well stocked, and we enjoyed the Sicilian wines that were offered. Our biking tour guide, Vera, was exceptional, as her knowledge of the islands, flora, and myths was text book worthy. Each island has its own story, and one of the highlights was the night boat ride around Stromboli to view the erupting volcano -- natural fireworks! The biking was easily manageable with e bikes. We would suggest that your rent the e bike rather than regular bike, as the uphill climb will slow you down and thus slow down the entire group while they wait for you. You'll still get a good workout if you keep the the bike on OFF while biking normal terrain or ECO when climbing. Helmets and towels for swimming are provided, so you don't have to bring your own if luggage space is an issue. We wish this boat did other tours, because we would sign up immediately!

The fun interaction with all the other people on the barge. Also, the fantastic guides and crew - all were great. Food terrific as evidenced by the 5 lbs. I gained!
While the terrain was flat, there was a couple of days when we had gravel and tree roots which made the going a little tougher and hard on the butt and lower back. An additional cushioned seat cover would have helped. Many people had Emile’s which were helpful over the rougher terrain. I never thought I would need one but I am almost 85 and have a broken down lower back. I really struggled on the second day when we did 50 km and some lengthy rough patches. People with e-bikes felt they were very good bikes, heavier than a regular bike but expected. The regular bikes were excellent other than a little more cushioning would help. The scenery along the way is not very interesting.
but earlier reviews mentioned that. It’s more about the fun of the group. This is likely my last bike trip but it was a great one. All of the bike & barge trips are terrific.