Bolzano-Mantova-Venice Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 47
Easy–Moderate Bike + Boat Tour in Italy
This bike tour in Italy is a variation of our traditional (and very popular) bike and boat tour, Mantova to Venice. This 11-day experience combines a self-guided hotel-to-hotel tour with a bike and…
Barbara D.
5 months ago
Verified Reviewer
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.
Maria F.
6 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Wonderful trip cycling. The Ave Maria crew were friendly, helpful, and clearly worked well as a team. The bikes were well maintained and rode smoothly.
Some communication with the TripSite org (most notably the portion before the Barge part of the trip) could have been better but overall it was a fun and enjoyable adventure.
Curt G.
6 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Dinner together on the barge and riding as a group
Robin P.
6 months ago
Verified Reviewer
I most enjoyed the first three rides of the tour from Bolzano to Mantova, the scenery was amazing.
Stephanie L.
6 months ago
Verified Reviewer
I felt we were treated as valued guests both out on the bike rides and on the barge. Food and ride leaders were excellent.
Would like the option of paper guides for the Bolzano to Mantova part as we did get off course a few times, especially finding the ferry in Riva. Overall, a wonderful experience.
Charles G.
8 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Tip. 3rd party navigation tools such as a heads up Garmin Edge are 100% necessary for the self guided section. Also, the self guided section is NOT a beginner ride. Intermediate is more appropriate.
Kevin A.
9 months ago
Verified Reviewer
The most memorable part of the trip was the people we met. From the crew to the fellow cyclists it was an amazing cast of people and made the experience such a pleasure. Riding with people from England, Germany, Canada and the US led to amazing days in the saddle and wonderful conversations over delicious dinners. When doing these trips the best advice I can give is at dinner move to a different table each evening and meet and dine with the other passengers. The friendships I have made over the years from these rides are truly remarkable.
Karl-Heinz F.
9 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Many beautiful experiences, met new nice people, a uniquely great crew on the Ave Maria, great food.
Lynn C.
10 months ago
Verified Reviewer
Of course the boat & bike trip was equally memorable, especially the food -- a gourmet meal every night, prepared by a chef, who excitedly announced the meal, it's relation to the region and the perfect wine to pair. Bike tour guide was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and caring to all. Aboard the Vita Pugna, we were 18 total bikers, a perfect number! We became attached to all! The majority had booked through Tripsite for this and many other previous trips. Nice to hear they were very much pleased with Read More the service, commenting on the excellent website, to find the the most details that enabled them to choose the perfect tour. Loved the side trips on the bike too! Museums, cheese factory, coffee stops, historical tours with local guides! This trip had it all!
Kathryn D.
11 months ago
Verified Reviewer
My husband and I loved biking through the mountains and valleys adorned with vineyards, rivers and numerous towns..
The scenery was amazing!!
One of the best parts of the trip was..... we were on safe bike-paths most of the way!!
The food was excellent. Each day the Chef introduced and featured a new flavour of Italian Food pertinent to an area of Italy.
Hein, was an awesome guide who had many surprises in-store for us each day. A FEW of the main attractions were: he would stop here and there along the way for history lessons, we visited a few castles, a clam farm and a cheese factory, plus we had chats about agriculture, and gave the bird enthusiasts time for bird watching. Hein, then concluded the week with a spectacular tour of Venice.
The people aboard the "Ava Maria" were very friendly. It fun making new friends and we found we had bonded with many by the end of the week.
I would highly recommend this bike-tour and was very sad when it ended!!
Carrie H.
3 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Wonderful staff, great food, prompt assistance....overall just a wonderful trip!
Rogan T.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Most Memorable Part: Bike with friends.
Barbara E.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
It is difficult to choose just one memorable part of the trip. Each day was filled with a new exciting adventure! Even riding a bike in an unexpected downpour was a fun experience when shared with cycling comrades. Seeking out a delicious gelato in a town square was a favorite activity. Exploring and discovering Italy while biking and barging aboard the Ave Maria was a truly delightful experience. Our crew was very helpful and eager to show us how proud they were of their country and all it has to offer. Pumpkin tortellini eaten at an outdoor restaurant was such an enjoyable eating experience! Grazie Mille for a truly amazing cycling adventure!!
Donald B.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Especially loved the area of the Dolomite Mountains, from Bolzano to Lake Gardia, for the beauty and then arriving in Venice.
Trip was extremely well organized; wonderful crew, special tour guides in Mantova and Venice, good food...and bravo to Vivian and Sonya, excellent guides
The cyclists really got along well so that was an added bonus.
First trip that was guided for us and I was pleasantly surprised. Other trips were self-guided and so was the first part of the trip, from Bolzano to Mantova.
Lack of toilets on the way...
Rachel F.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
The best part was the first three days self-guided tour near the Dolomites on our 10 day tour.
Terry W.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
As professional as the staff were and as delicious the food, the most memorable part of the trip was interacting with fellow travelers. Since the boat can only berth around 40, I was able to get to know almost everyone and learn about their countries and personal histories.
Avace W.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Guides were amazing. They worked hard to make sure all guests mingled with guests from other countries. Games played encouraged teams working together and finding new information about the villages we visited. Always extra surprises..like visiting the mussel fishermen, panoramic vista of Venice from rooftop. Training on how to use ferry system in Venice invaluable. I didn't think we could get a better tour than our 2018 trip, but this one exceeded all expectations. From snow in the mts. near Bolzano to swimming in the Adriatic, the differences in scenery was dramatic and thrilling. Bikes...so comfortable and fit perfectly. Didn't even need to wear my bike padding! Plenty of time to look around when we went thru villages. What can I say. This tour was the best!
Sandy H.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Fabulous trip. Filled with adventure. Highlights included guide, staff, food and overall camaraderie developed with a great group of people!
Gorge M.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Menu and food prep. much better than other bike and barge/cruises we've been on.
Barbara C.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
The most memorable part of the trip was the gorgeous scenery around Lake Garda. I wish we could have spent more time there, but much of our time was wasted trying to find the boat. The directions definitely need improvement.
Jehiel from Tripsite • 4 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hi Barbara,
We provide a map and written directions to the boat in your travel information. We also include the number of the captain and emergency contact just in case.
Glad you still had a great time despite this issue!
David & Patsy A.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
We loved the scenery and it was such a relaxing bike ride we decided to go on our own rather than go with the group with the guide. The green arrow stickers saved us many times. Loved all the small villages on the way and stopped at a few every day for a cappuccino which was excellent. There was a few errors on the routes however we figured them out and pointed the errors to the guides when they occurred.
Katherine G.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
The route guides had some errors and you could tell that they were translated by someone who’s first language is not English but we usually managed to figure things out. We preferred to cycle independently from the group as people rode too slow for us and being clustered together we were concerned about all of us crashing into each other. We loved being able to rendezvous with our guides and the rest of the group for the Carrosel Museum visit, the cheese factory etc.
The staff on the Ave Marie Barge were fabulous, they all worked together, even the Captain helped set the table. The food was excellent and the chef was a real character.
The bikes were excellent, we were provided Read More with a pannier and a box style bag for our handle bars. It wasn’t necessary to bring a small backpack as they like you to remove and carry the bags with you when you lock up your bike.
It was a great vacation and we hope to do another cycling trip in the near future.
Sue H.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Couldn't ask for more. We absolutely loved our bike/barge tour in Italy from Bolzano to Mantova to Venice in August on the Vita Pugna. The staff were fantastic and our guide Michela was amazing. We had a lot of fun, met some great people and visited some very beautiful places. The biking was not difficult. The food on the Barge was first class and plenty of it. Would absolutely recommend this trip. Can't think of the most memorable part of the trip it was all amazing. The first three days was challenging following the instructions, but we got there in the end. Was sorry to say goodbye to everyone.
Nancy B.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Most Memorable Part? Riding our bikes back to the barge in Venice in a rainstorm. The laughter and camaraderie was priceless.
Nelson S.
4 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Great trip....tour guides outstanding ,more than outstanding....the food was fabulous and all staff were wonderful....first 3 days of self guided biking were well worthwhile.....stay hydrated if it is warm as cramping can occur.
Paula K.
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
We loved the varied scenery and warm and friendly Italian people.
The hotel accommodations were very comfortable and more than adequate. We would have been satisfied with a less luxurious hotel in Trento. We would have liked to explore the town and find a different restaurant, but there was no time. That is one of the drawbacks of cycling so many miles between towns; not enough time to explore.
The Ave Maria and the entire crew were first rate. We want to particularly thank our tirelessly helpful and fun-loving guides, Marinella and Stephania. In addition, the food was artfully created and inspired.
Our one complaint is about the poorly written instructions on the 3-day, self-guided part of the trip, which sometimes caused stress. The instructions were not only terribly written, we also had different editions of instructions among our group of 12. The most exasperating time was at Riva del Garda when we cycled back and forth through the town at least 3 times, looking for the correct ferry dock, after asking and being misled several times.
Jehiel from Tripsite • 5 years ago Tripsite Staff
Hi Paula,
We have shared your feedback with our local partner and they are reviewing the written instructions for the tour. I should also mention there are GPS tracks that can be requested for this tour, which definitely helps ease the stress of navigating on your own.
Glad you had a great trip otherwise!
John B.
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
We started out in Bolzano, going from Hotel to hotel the first three nights, and then on the barge for seven more. The scenery of the hotel to hotel was spectacular! The Ave Maria was a fantastic boat, the crew was great and very accommodating. The only negative is- I wish we could have spent more time in each town we went past. But with only ten days, squeezing anything else like more time is impossible.
Anne S.
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
We loved the beautiful, amazing mountain scenery (with very few hills) of the first three days. The written instructions, though, are of a badness difficult to describe. We rated the tour 4/5, and the lost star were because of the extremely poor instructions. If we hadn't had maps and stickers on sign posts, we wouldn't have been able to make it through. The frustration really distracted from the overall enjoyment of the trip - an English speaker with an accurate odometer really needs to rewrite the directions. For example, they talked about "crossing a railway" (or maybe a "railway bridge"), so we spent about 20 minutes trying to find a way to cross the railway - but really it meant to pass underneath an elevated railway crossing. Also, the symbol used to indicate a warning (I think of a turn easy to miss) is a hand pointing to the right. One not unnaturally assumes that this means a right turn. It does not.
Otherwise the barge, scenery, activities, food, and guides are all exactly what we hoped for and have experienced on earlier trips. No problems with luggage transfers, and the hotels for the first part of the trip were all great.
David & Patsy
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Most Memorable Part? The poppy fields along the bike ride was especially beautiful. Instructions need some updating.
Ian S.
5 years ago
Verified Reviewer
Superb scenery, boat, bikes and guides. Delightful in every way.