4 Star Italy Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 99

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

My favorite part of the trip was touring Montova. This was our 3rd bike barge trip and I'm sorry to say that the scenery we saw while riding 3 of the 5 days was a bit disappointing. The barge and the food was the best of the 3 trips. We also rode a little too much along some busy roads without much of a shoulder.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

There were several very memorable moments on this trip! Our guide, Hein and his wife Margolien were outstanding with their historical knowledge about every town we toured. That was an added benefit of which I had not expected. They were extremely passionate in sharing their information with everyone which made it so interesting. Another highlight for us was just the sheer beauty that surrounded us on the trails we traversed to each of our destinations. My wife and I are not really bikers but enjoy staying physically fit. She questioned whether she could do the mileage each day. The trails and picturesque views through the countryside took your mind off anything other than just appreciating God’s creation so you were never aware of whether you rode 10 miles or twenty. I could probably go on but will end my remarks with the view we were able to get of Venice as we pulled up to our mooring site on Pellistrina Thursday evening. What an experience. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys biking or just being outdoors. We would definitely do it again but maybe choose a little more difficult ride!!

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The time spent touring around
Venice and the food on the boat!

Umbria - Gastronomy Bike Tour
Italy

Dinner/wine tasting with Luca and Roberto.

The written route directions could be made a bit clearer. I would suggest you have a native English speaker try riding the routes and make changes as (s)he goes. They were okay but there were a few places where they were difficult to follow. The GPS is definitely helpful but sometimes it lagged so the written directions are needed.

Puglia Food & Wine
Italy

Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

I loved the self guided part as we were able to ride as far as we wanted to and stop when we wanted. The scenery from Bolzano to Peschiera was breathtaking. The towns looked like movie sets. The 5 hour ferry ride was also an adventure and exposed the most beautiful scenery imaginable.

The barge crew was great, especially Stephi and Stephani, our fearless guides. Francesco was also a huge help. My room was tiny, but I made it work. The only complaint, and it is minor, is that I have had better food on bike barge excursions. The food on this trip was okay. Not great. Also - need more salads!!

Venice to Florence
Italy

Touring the beautiful countryside and visiting the pleasant towns otherwise not likely going to see was memorable.

Puglia Food & Wine
Italy

The coastline rides, most restaurants and hotels were to our expectations. The scenery inland was not something I would do again. The landscape inland is littered with dead olive trees and and after 1 day of it, it becomes very repetitive.

Umbria - Culinary Walking Tour
Italy

The GPX viewer app generally worked well for the walk. However, the estimated walk time should be increased to 3 hours for the Assisi to Spello walk & the difficulty increased to slightly challenging. After the walk to the winery, transportation should be supplied to Spello as people may not want to walk to Spello after Winery lunch & several glasses of wine.
The GPX viewer shows the location of the Winery stop as 1.1 km from the actual location of Tili 21 which is hard for the walkers after trekking from Assisi.
The next day’s walk through Collepino should specify that the final 1 km to Collepino is a steep uphill climb. Otherwise, a great experience all around.
Thank You
Dane Graburn

Bolzano to Verona
Italy

The first leg is fantastic. Savor it! Stop at all the bicycle cafes, fruit stands and waysides. Each is unique and delightful. Take a mid morning espresso! With the Dolomites cradling the cycle path, the beauty is breathtaking.

Bolzano to Verona
Italy

The cycling paths are excellent. We enjoyed the cycling culture, ie cycling cafés along the route, cycling setups at the hotels and knowledgeable hotel staffs.

The hotels were nice expect for the Hotel Dori, it was 2 star at best.

The cycling routing around Riva del Garda and Peschiera along the beach front was not good. We were on a narrow path with pedestrians , strollers, scooters and paddle boarders. This routing requires updating including riding on streets or highways. It would be safer and more efficient.

To discuss the routing issues I’d be happy to talk to you about it, either by phone or email.

Puglia Food & Wine
Italy

Great scenery along the water and nice hotels in the towns Really enjoyed the towns we stayed in Bikes were great and comfortable and staff was friendly Too tired to swim but saw many beautiful swimming spots. We did self guided so Got lost a bit and ended up doing 70k all days except 1. Overall fun experience and would recommend seeing Alberobello and Matera while in the south of Italy as a side trip.

  Atlantis Highlights of Tuscany
Italy

Some part of the trip was not very friendly,justa a few
More type of floating divece in the ship to enjoy more the sea.

Innsbruck to Bolzano
Austria, Italy

Leaving Innsbruck on the bikes was so exciting! It was wonderful to know that our luggage would be safely transported to the next hotel and we could just enjoy the scenery. The paths were well marked and going in and out of little towns was such a joy. The route was wonderfully planned and each day was just the right amount of biking. Definitely take time to swim in the Kalterer See. It felt so wonderful after a day of biking on a hot day.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

This was our second Bike & Barge trip. If you are thinking about it, do it! Both trips were with a group of friends. We had a wonderful time together with the crew. I'd recommend going with a group of friends or family. This trip required longer distances which at times were a bit exhausting but much of that had to do with our pace and the weather. Most of the biking on this trip is in the countryside, not many towns to see. Arriving in Venice on the boat was incredible and a great way to end our trip spending two nights and a day in the city.

  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.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The times together with others. Dinner, riding etc.

Venice to Florence
Italy

All bike tour was perfect

Venice to Florence
Italy

Frienship of our group, and landscape views of delta po river!
Try to avoid the main road with a lot of cars and trucks

Flavors of Italy: The very best of Emilia-Romagna
Italy

The trip happened just as we had envisaged it when booking. No hitches or last minute 'Sorry but.....'
All this in spite of the horrific rains and resultant flooding in coastal Emilia-Romagna the previous week (early May 2023). For our 8-day self-guided weather was ideal, not a drop of rain.
Bikes were class and delivered to us at the start in a very friendly helpful manner.
We went for the upgraded hotels and didn't regret it for a moment. They were superb, varied and well located.
Forward routes were pleasant and well-designed. We felt that the loop-rides were on the long side and very castle-oriented.
Tripsite, well done. Take a bow.

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Our favorite day was probably our stop in Bergantino - we knew the cheese tasting would be fabulous. The stop at the Museum of the Ride was unexpectedly terrific - a real highlight.

Umbria
Italy

This was a lovely bike ride. The scenery was beautiful. The tour operator was very helpful and responsive. The hotels were all very comfortable. We loaded the GPX tracts on a Garmin making it easy to stay on course. On the day we road through Foligno, the Giro d'Italia was taking place. It was fun to watch. The village of Gubbio (my favorite next to Assisi) was still decorated for the Corso dei Seri. As far as the ride, we knew that the some of the roads would not be the best quality, but the elevation was more difficult than we were expecting. We were on a road bike and a low end hybrid. The hybrid was too heavy for the elevation. Even walking the bike up some of the hills was difficult. The poor condition of some of the roads made it difficult for the road bike. We were given route options to avoid gravel roads, but there were some asphalt roads that were not the best quality. I would do this ride again, but on a different bike, possibly a gravel bike if it is available. All in all, this was a great bike ride. The Umbria region is a beautiful area, but without the crowds.

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The crew on the boat was very accommodating; any issues with our cabins was readily addressed. The chef was excellent; one of the best we've experienced on the many bike tours we've been on. The menus included regional favorites and we all received a cookbook that included recipe favorites from several chefs.

Lake Garda & the Adige River
Italy

Scenery was terrific and accommodation was very good. When arriving at each town or city don’t continue all the way to central point as per Ride With GPS, as you may be well past your hotel already. Switch to google maps as you enter the city and search your hotel.

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The accommodations on board , the food, and the staff were excellent.

  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.

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The food, the guide and the route and biking were all great. Excellent value for a low budget trip.