Ave Maria boat/barge tour reviews — 31 to 60 of 209
Jeffrey C.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
Staff/tour guides were outstanding. Highly recommend.
Joseph M.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Karen U.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Peter N M.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
The trip allowed us to see the smaller cities and beautiful country side of northern Italy. The crew was outstanding and the food wonderful.
Robert E.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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).
James B.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
The times together with others. Dinner, riding etc.
Sarah W.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Nathalie M.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Neil H.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
The trip was very good abd the staff was excellent!
Louise R.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy
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.
Renee R.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Carol W.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Barbara A.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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
Sandra M.
12 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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
Bernard D.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
The accommodations on board , the food, and the staff were excellent.
Elizabeth J.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy
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.
Lora G.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
This is an unforgettable trip that everyone should take! The guides, chefs, crew and captain were all knowledgeable, kind and fabulous!
Dale S.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Wendy V.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
Our crew and tour guides were fantastic. Not to mention the food onboard was outstanding.
Donna W.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Ric B.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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!
cynthia w.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Diane C.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Laurie H.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
Seeing venice on a sunny day from the roof of an historic building.
Biking through the countryside and villages.
Excellent food.
John L.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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!
Gary M.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
Not to overlook the moderate exercise we got on bikes everyday, which was helpful because the delicious food our crew served was difficult to turn down. I would have Read More preferred longer distances, but the biking was as advertised: easy.
A couple of tips: take precautions to protect yourself from Covid. If you choose a water taxi to get you around Venice, ask the boat driver when reserving your ride, and again before you board the boat, what the fare is; the cost tends to inflate when it comes time to pay the bill. And ask your tour guide to reserve tickets in advance to see the interior of San Marco Basilica and the Doge's Palace in Venice. I didn't do this and was unwilling to wait in a long line to get in, so I missed both. But we did see a number of other unbelievable churches from the Rennaissance era all week in Verona, Mantova and Venice.
Barb • 9 months ago
Thanks for the great advice about the water taxi and reserving tickets for San Marco Basilica and the Doge's Palace. Do you think the tour guides on the Ave Maria would be able to reserve those tickets once we are there on the boat, or is there another way you would suggest?
Also, I wonder if you have a recommendation for how to get from the airport to the boat? Thank you very much. Barb :)
Barbara D.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy
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.
LISA C.
1 year ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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
Kay B.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
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.
Ward A.
2 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy
Crew was amazing. Everyone helpful. 30 person biking too big. Suggest it be split into 2 15 person groups.
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