Italy Bike Tour Reviews 1 to 30 of 311
Country: Italy • REMOVE
- 77% 5 star: 185 reviews
- 18% 4 star: 42 reviews
- 3% 3 star: 6 reviews
- 1% 2 star: 3 reviews
- 2% 1 star: 4 reviews
Rogan T. 6 days ago Verified Reviewer
Most Memorable Part: Bike with friends.
Boat: Ave Maria
Barbara E. 1 week 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!!
Boat: Ave Maria
Donald B. 2 weeks 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...Boat: Ave Maria
Rachel F. 3 weeks ago Verified Reviewer
The best part was the first three days self-guided tour near the Dolomites on our 10 day tour.
Boat: Ave Maria
Ilene W. 3 weeks ago Verified Reviewer
The Mantova to Venice bike and barge on the Ava Maria! The crew, the ship, the food and our guides were outstanding! Also all the guides we had in the cities and venues were fabulous!
Boat: Ave Maria
Terry W. 2 months 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.
Boat: Ave Maria
Alicia F. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
My sister, brother-in-law, and I highly recommend this tour. The views were stunning and the accommodations superb. Dobbiaco was our favorite stop with spectacular views of snow cap mountains, rivers, and UNESCO sites. A breathtaking experience!
Dara W. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
The guide book and route map for the heel of Italy tour were very detailed and informative. Each day there were highlights picked out and sites to see and additional loops to cycle that added interest
The routes picked were along lovely rural roads as much as possible yet brought us through lovely towns and villages and we started in Materea the European city of culture this year
Overall a very enjoyable holiday that was well organized by Tripsite and I would highly recommend these holidaysAvace W. 2 months 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!
Boat: Ave Maria
Sandy H. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
Fabulous trip. Filled with adventure. Highlights included guide, staff, food and overall camaraderie developed with a great group of people!
Boat: Ave Maria
Gorge M. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
Menu and food prep. much better than other bike and barge/cruises we've been on.
Boat: Ave Maria
Connie M. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
The Venice to Mantua tour was excellent. We particularly enjoyed the stops for cultural and natural sites of interest. The food was wonderful and the staff very helpful.
Boat: Ave Maria
Greg S. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
It is hard to specify just one thing. The barge was great, the food superb and the staff could not have been better. Even though the weather wasn't great, we had a wonderful time. We're looking forward to booking our next tour.
Boat: Ave Maria
Sandra B. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
This was our 4th Bike & Barge trip with Tripsite. Our most recent was on the Vita Pugna from Mantova to Venice early May, 2019. We loved our first trip and didn't think it was possible, but somehow, they just keep getting better!
Our guide, Hein, was knowledgeable, friendly, and personable. The staff was wonderful and the dinners were amazing! At each port, they shopped daily for fresh foods and wine, and served us the local specialties of the area. Each night before serving, they described the menu, explained how it was prepared, and paired it with a local wine recommendation.
The cozy, comfortable barge accommodates 20 guests. Even though we represented 6 different countries, there were no differences at all. Everyone was enthusiastic, energetic, fun, friendly and helpful.
The bikes were exceptional and made the rides smooth and comfortable. I usually struggle to keep up, but didn't have any problems this time. The bikes contributed to my ease, and the Read more… pace was ideal!
The routes were well planned, the scenery was lovely, the designated stops were interesting, informative and great fun!
Since the boats and owners, countries, food, scenery, cultures and customs are all different, we don't compare trips. We just embrace the differences and look forward to our next (5th) adventure with Tripsite. They're so great to work with and have always made every effort to accommodate their guests.Boat: Vita Pugna
Catherine P. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
The entire trip was great. Have highly recommended it to others!
Boat: Vita Pugna
Berry B. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
Our guide (Sylvia) embellished every part of the day, the staff was very friendly, cooperative, accommodating and full of fun...great trip, thanks
Boat: Vita Pugna
Jehiel from Tripsite 2 months ago 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!Barbara C. 2 months 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.
Teresa H. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
The food was absolutely delicious! We had a very entertaining, informative guide and the rest of the staff on the barge were great! I can’t say enough great things about our experience!!
Nancy A. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
This was our eighth cycling tour but our first self-guided. We thoroughly enjoyed cycling through the north of Italy along lovely bike trails away from the crush of other tourists. The guidebooks gave us plenty of suggestions for side trips and places to explore. Leaving Bolzano, the route took us up along a tree-shaded old railway path, with a clifftop castle on one side and a valley of orchards spread out on the other, all within sight of the snow-capped mountains; it was a perfect way to start our adventure.
Donna M. 2 months ago Verified Reviewer
The overall experience was excellent! We selected a self-guided trip, and were thrilled to enjoy the countryside and magical villages at our own pace.
The signage was a bit tricky to figure out at the start, but once we learned where to look, the directions were spot on.Susan J. 3 months ago Verified Reviewer
Just finished the Venice to Mantova about the Vita Pugna. This trip was amazing and exactly as advertised with easy cycling on flat roads. Normally I would have liked more miles but with a record breaking heat wave (topping at 44C one day) that week, the distances worked out well. The chefs Sylvia and Irene are hugely talented and every meal was a delight. I really can't praise the food enough! Fabio did an excellent job as guide and is extremely knowledgeable about the area and gave excellent advice. Eduardo the captain was also very personable and friendly, overall a super crew who obviously enjoyed working together. Our international group had a great time cycling together despite the heat. I hope to do this trip again someday.
Boat: Vita Pugna
Jehiel from Tripsite 3 months ago Staff
Hi Pam, Thank you for sharing this feedback with us. We were quite surprised by your comments of highly trafficked highways or misleading description. I'm afraid you had a unique experience. The sections of the route that I believe you are referencing (leaving Chioggia, and then the crossing of two rivers (Adige and Brenta) on trafficked bridges) is protected by guard-rail. Tour Leaders always advise about this part, to proceed slowly, in a single line, and pushing the bike (2 min section). However, in your particular week, there was more traffic than usual, because many Italians had their Easter vacations (Easter and national Italian holiday). Apart from this, I can assure you that this cycling tour is largely along the flats of the Po plains, and the daily stages vary from 25 to 55 km – mostly on tarmac cycle paths along rivers and canals, or quiet country roads. As for air condition on the Ave Maria - during spring/fall, there can be cold or warm days, so it can Read more… difficult to balance when temperatures vary a lot in the intermediate seasons, as do clients personal preferences. We are sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations.POM 4 months ago Verified Reviewer
My husband and I have been on 12 European bike/boat tours. We love to see the world this way, and we are usually 100% satisfied and happy when we finish a trip.
In April we took the Ave Maria tour from Venice to Mantova. The first two days we biked on busy highways next to large lorries, semis, and garbage trucks, one of which almost wiped me out. We were shocked at having to ride on these highways because here is the company description of this trip on this website...
"This cycling tour is largely along the flats of the Po plains, and the daily stages vary from 25 to 55 km – mostly on tarmac cycle paths along rivers and canals, or quiet country roads."
The first two days of this trip were not on QUIET COUNTRY ROADS. They were on heavily traveled highways, and they were dangerous and certainly no fun! We will never travel with this company again because they were not truthful about the roads and
paths. This was not a relaxing trip.
On a good Read more… note...we had wonderful food on board. The chefs were amazing, and we looked forward to dinner every night.
The Ave Maria advertises air conditioning. It is true they have it, but they don't turn it on very often, like it is off all night, every night. So most of us had to sleep with our doors wide open. Our rooms were like saunas, with no windows to open. For that reason, I would not recommend this boat, no matter what tour it was on.Boat: Ave Maria
Kenneth L. 4 months ago Verified Reviewer
We toured Barolo wine country. This is a prosperous part of Italy but the young women wore tattered blue jeans. We had great food and wine. The countryside is beautiful. There were some parts of the route that were on roads with big trucks and others on gravel or dirt (in our case muddy with rain) road. There were long uphill climbs with 16% grade, thank goodness for the excellent bicycles. It was a great experience that I recommend. We have done multiple trips with Tripsite and all have been wonderful.
Sue F. 4 months ago Verified Reviewer
Our fabulous 2019 vacation was aboard the Vita Pugna (very clean and comfortable) biking from Mantova to Venice. We were well taken care of by Captain Edoardo, crew/chefs Silvia and Barbara (delicious meals and afternoon snacks plus breakfast!) and our wonderful guide Fabio. I can’t say enough about each one of them, the patience of Fabio is extraordinary. He went above and beyond to make sure each guest was comfortable cycling and informed of routes/plans throughout the week. At the end of the tour he went out of his way to assure that each person knew exactly how to get to their destination when departing the barge. The biking (the bikes were in great shape!) was fun/well organized, the food was outstanding, the landscape/pubs/villages/museum/cheese factory/cappuccino stops, etc. were wonderful. We loved the night walks and the walking tours by local guides. Tripsite provided second to none customer service through our booking process. They were quick to answer any Read more… questions/concerns I had, and I love the online chat feature! We are looking at another bike/barge for 2020 and after going through another company a couple of years ago, will only use Tripsite now. Kudos to all and thanks so much for making our 2019 vacation one for the books!Boat: Vita Pugna
Jehiel from Tripsite 5 months ago Staff
Hi Marilyn,
Thanks for submitting this feedback. We will be sure to share your suggestions related to food with our local partner.
As for the wifi, we mention on the boat page and in our travel information that the wifi, though free, is limited and based on usage. The boat uses a mobile hotspot - the speed is based on the usage of the guests and can be spotty. To guarantee reliable internet, we suggest purchasing an international phone plan or a personal hotspot while abroad.
I hope that despite these inconveniences you enjoyed your trip!Boat: Ave Maria
Marilyn Walker 5 months ago Verified Reviewer
Well-Done
We rode the entire week independently of the 30-person group, which is our preference. We requested beforehand, and received promptly, the GPX files for each stage, which we downloaded to our Garmin bicycle computers together with relevant open source street maps. We used the GPS directions as our primary navigation, and referred to the jigsaw puzzle of a tour map and the turn-by-turn directions in puzzling moments. All three references agreed very well, which is a great comfort. Tour Guide Michela provided us a separate walk-through every evening, clarifying points of confusion and explaining where the main group would be. Several times we met the group for special sightseeing tours. Otherwise, we did our own thing, took rest stops at our own discretion and ate the picnic lunch at places of our own choosing.The bicycles were better than expected. We chose the e-bikes and count the expense as worth the money. The batteries were strong enough to carry us through Read more… the 30-mile days with a couple of power dots left over. The seats were comfortable and the handlebars were especially comfortable to the wrist. The gears changed easily.
Needs Improvement
Plating the food before serving meant that a great deal was wasted. It would be more accommodating to serve family style, in bowls, so people can serve themselves what their appetite and inclination suggests.The itinerary was generally okay, but we had to meet the boat or bus by appointment several times, which meant waiting around for hours at a time. Other bike-and-boat tours we went on were better organized to find the boat at the end of the day's ride.
Unsatisfactory
The company is proud of their cooking, but the quality was badly degraded by the excessive use of salt. Even those people who were indifferent to their salt intake agreed it was "very salty". The taste of the food was ruined by the cook's excess. Upon tasting the first night's dinner, I required that they make special salt-free dinners for me. Two nights they "forgot" and spoiled the food. The cooks should learn to make their food unsalted and let the guests add that seasoning at table. It will improve the dining experience for everybody.The internet service was the worst I've seen since dial-up telephone modems. People wanted simple access to email and to post photos on social media, but were continuously thwarted by irregular service and severe deterioration, which seemed to be deliberate. For example, the night we were in Zelo, they announced there was no wi-fi at all because of the remote location, which was fishy to begin with. Next morning, we decided to stay on the boat for the day, which allowed me to observe that within minutes of the big group rolling away, they switched the wi-fi back on for the rest of the day, until that evening when it went to pieces again. There is no excuse for such poor service in this day and age.
Boat: Ave Maria
Dave Munro 7 months ago Verified Reviewer
Wow, the article so beautifully written makes me feel i was on the trip! Well done.
Lisa Wares 8 months ago Verified Reviewer
What a wonderful adventure! Pedalling the countryside by day and enjoy the gastronomy by night! I had no idea these incredible tours existed! Thank you for this fantastic article! Where do I sign up!