Italy Bike Tour Reviews 1 to 30 of 282
Country: Italy • REMOVE
- 76% 5 star: 162 reviews
- 19% 4 star: 40 reviews
- 3% 3 star: 6 reviews
- 1% 2 star: 3 reviews
- 1% 1 star: 2 reviews
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Jehiel from Tripsite 3 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyHi 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
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Marilyn Walker 3 weeks ago • Permalink/ReplyWell-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 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
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Cycling Umbria: A Gastronomy Bike Tour
by Dave Munro 3 months ago • Permalink/ReplyWow, the article so beautifully written makes me feel i was on the trip! Well done.
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Cycling Umbria: A Gastronomy Bike Tour
by Lisa Wares 3 months ago • Permalink/ReplyWhat 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!
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Cycling Umbria: A Gastronomy Bike Tour
by Claire Finlayson 3 months ago • Permalink/ReplyWhat a beautifully written article - and great pictures, too.
Very inspiring. Makes me want to do this trip!
Thank you. -
Bolzano - Mantova - Venice
by David & Patsy A. 4 months ago • Permalink/ReplyWe 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.
Boat: Ave Maria
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Sicily - Mt Etna, Taormina, and the Ionian Sea
by Margot S. 4 months ago • Permalink/ReplyThe bike route for your trip to Sicily takes us through farms of the regions. Very interesting to see how so many tomatoes and eggplants grow in green houses.
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Bolzano - Mantova - Venice
by Katherine G. 4 months ago • Permalink/ReplyDespite the crowds and chaos in Trento on day one of our cycling (Bolzano to Trento) due to the Alpine Black Feather military reunion, it is now one of my favourite memories and stories that I share! I also really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful poppies, gardens and farmers fields.
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 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.Boat: Ave Maria
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Lake Garda and the Adige River Cycle route
by Rosana S. 4 months ago • Permalink/ReplyThe best trip i’ve ever done was through Danubio, from Passau to Vienna. It was perfect, the scenery, the route, the boat. It was my first time in a bike and tour trip. It was in 2016 and since then it,’s the only way i like to travel. A new world for me, I felt like a child recovering my childhood near from nature!
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Bolzano - Mantova - Venice
by Sue H. 4 months ago • Permalink/ReplyCouldn'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.
Boat: Vita Pugna
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Douglas Y. 4 months ago • Permalink/ReplyOur bike and barge from Venice was fantastic. The villages were quaint and the opportunity to swim in the Adriatic Sea was a great way to cool down and relax. Our trip aboard the Ave Maria was wonderful. Captain Connie, Enrico, Giuliano, Silvia and Helmut made our trip to be quite memorable! Giuliano and Silvia made fabulous gourmet dinners for us. Our only complaint would be that there were periods of riding on dikes/floodbanks but all the stops along the way were very interesting and full of character. The visit to a Grana Padano cheese plant was followed by a wine and cheese picnic and our ending destination, Mantua was beautifully surrounded by 3 lakes. We would definitely recommend this trip!
Boat: Ave Maria
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Wendy S. 4 months ago • Permalink/ReplyThe most memorable part of our Mantova to Venice trip was visiting chioggia, the carnival museum and the cheese factory.
Boat: Vita Pugna
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Marsi Q. 5 months ago • Permalink/ReplyBest part? Riding through small towns that most tourists don’t see...like Bergantino. The small group on the barge.
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Patricia T. 5 months ago • Permalink/ReplyI remember the day on a slightly "tricky" route into Chioggia. When we could bike into the town and rest our bikes for the first look-around -- what an enchanting place in such good company. We knew there would be another gourmet dinner that evening on the barge. Looking forward to another trip through Tripsite.
Boat: Ave Maria
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Lynn Y. 5 months ago • Permalink/ReplyBest part? The wonderful food served everyday
Boat: Vita Pugna
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Bolzano - Mantova - Venice
by Nancy B. 5 months ago • Permalink/ReplyMost Memorable Part? Riding our bikes back to the barge in Venice in a rainstorm. The laughter and camaraderie was priceless.
Boat: Vita Pugna
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Carole H. 5 months ago • Permalink/ReplyAve Maria barge was so very comfortable with wonderful staff & fabulous fresh locally sourced food, beautifully presented.
Boat: Ave Maria
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Flavors of Italy: The very best of Emilia Romagna
by John M. 5 months ago • Permalink/ReplyThe tasting opportunities added a different perspective to just cycling.
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Wendy D. 6 months ago • Permalink/ReplyMy husband and I love Tripsite. We are about to embark in 2019 on our third such bike and barge holiday. We did Brussels to Bruges in 2017, Mantova to Venice this year (2018) and have already booked for 2019 to do a 6 country river boat and bike trip down the Danube. We find the combination of being on the water in a comfortable barge enjoying great food and company, coupled with daily activity a wonderful combination and experience. Biking through the various countries during the day after a hearty breakfast, packed to enjoy a wonderful packed lunch along the way is an altogether thrilling and fulfilling experience.
We highly recommend Tripsite and the wonderful holidays they offer. All the work is coordinated. All you do is get out and enjoy your vacation.
Well done Tripsite! A job well done. -
Innsbruck to Venice
by Carla from Tripsite 6 months ago • Permalink/ReplyHi Kathy - Thanks so much for your feedback. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the trip overall. I wanted to point out that for this tour, and many other tours, we can offer GPS tracks. Cycling with GPS makes for stress free cycling! Even if you make the wrong turn, the GPS will redirect you correctly. You can download the tracks onto your GPS device or an app on your smart phone. Here is a really great personal hotspot.
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Innsbruck to Venice
by Kathy Feeley 6 months ago • Permalink/ReplyWe found the signage very poor on this tour especially getting out of Verona.We ended up out in the suburbs for 3 hours and wasted half a day,getting tired and frustrated.Please improve this ,it would make the trip more enjoyable.Green arrows need to be much more frequently placed.Sometimes we got to a T intersection and even with the instruction book had no clue which way to turn.
Bikes were great!
Hotel in Padua was not in a nice area,though close to the station.Did not feel safe at night given all the refugees hanging around outside the hotel
Generally the hotels would be better if they were closer to the town center in each city
Scenery lovely ,some great countryside and villages.Enjoyed the trip but stressed out looking for green arrows that we often could not find.Definitely need GPS. -
Innsbruck to Bolzano
by Barry N. 6 months ago • Permalink/ReplyIt’s quite difficult to review this trip as there were many great experiences like the scenery after we escaped the narrow valley from Innsbruck to about Imst but there were some cons. In the beginning of the trip we felt the cycle path, even though fantastic to have, was often too close to the railway or an autobahn (and the associated noise) to make for wonderful riding.
The hotels and half board were mostly good but some noisy and the one in Imst not only noisy but also the food was definitely (for half board), poor.
Some hotels were standouts - the small excellent hotel in Mals and the food in the hotel in Meran.
The guides were not accurate with addendums with corrections and GPS (as per our previous bike trip) would have been better. -
Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Casimira R. 6 months ago • Permalink/ReplyOur guides were amazing made sure no one was left behind. I wish there would have been transportation for us from the train station to the boat. Other than that the trip was amazing and I would highly recommend this.
Boat: Ave Maria
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Bernadette G. 6 months ago • Permalink/ReplyThis trip was the perfect balance for experiencing Italy as well as being physically active. The most memorable part of the trip was being with a group of like-minded active and curious people!
Boat: Ave Maria
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by April 6 months ago • Permalink/ReplyThat’s a hard question. They all were special in different ways. But if I had to pick a fav it would be the Paris-Bruges trip.
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Danna J. 6 months ago • Permalink/ReplyThe knowledge about the country that our guide, Hein, provided at sporadic times. He was very astute to stop on a hillock for a small respite when there was no “cafe” in sight. Great information.
Boat: Ave Maria
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Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
by Jill McGowan 6 months ago • Permalink/ReplyYou mentioned that you had been on 5 boat/barge trips. Which was your overall favorite?
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Innsbruck to Bolzano
by Brent H. 7 months ago • Permalink/ReplyGreat trip. The scenery was breathtaking and the hotels were in good locations close to the center of towns.
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Venice to Florence
by Sherri 7 months ago • Permalink/ReplyLoved this trip! We went in September and it was perfect weather. So much to see along the way. Lots of small towns to ride through and such beautiful scenery. The hotels we stayed in were good and the morninbreakfasts delicious. Don’t hesitate - book it!!
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Bolzano - Mantova - Venice
by Nelson S. 7 months ago • Permalink/ReplyGreat 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.
Boat: Ave Maria
