Italy Tour Reviews — 511 to 540 of 676

We were doing the tour "Around Venice". We did not get to finish our tour due to unusual weather, as we had heatstroke on the second day of cycling during an unprecedented heatwave. We continued by train and bus.Therefore, I feel we cannot really make a recommendation about the cycling part of this tour. We were very disappointed as we have never been unable to complete a tour before this. All other aspects of the tour and staff involved along the way were excellent. Our bikes were picked up by the tour company, so we did not have to worry about getting around with them when we weren't feeling well. Hotels were great, and Italy has the best ice cream on the planet! (And due to the heat, we ate quite a bit.) Fortunately it is very easy and inexpensive to get around by bus and train, and we had lots of time in each lovely town to rest and recover, while exploring. This is a really beautiful part of the world.

This trip was a last minute decision. We chose an unguided trip because my wife wanted to maximize her opportunity to speak Italian and we felt comfortable since we have taken an unguided one with Tripsite before. The best part is hard to select- the dinner below Assissi that we learned to cook with the chef, Rosita, in the hotel, the couple sitting next to us at a table in Spello-the woman jumping up every few minutes to hug and kiss her boyfriend while we were eating a fantastic dinner, the sounds of Mozart's Requiem floating out of a small auditorium, sung by 15 young people while we were eating at a fantastic Pizza place in Torgiano. What else? Well, of course the local food, the local wine, the towns in the valley and on top of the hills and the incessantly changing views. We both felt it was a special vacation and we were totally relaxed. Do I have any suggestions? Not really, we are still fighting the bends raising our heads above the memories to our life back here. We'll be back.

We were glad that we did the independent bike ride starting in Bolzano 3 days before meeting up with everyone on the barge. The scenery and biking were incredible, especially on the alternate route. We did go solo the first day and got very lost 3 times! The next day we tagged along with others on the same trip. The directions could be more explicit ( Ex. It would be helpful to state directions that avoided questioning routes i.e. ""go this way, not that way""; caution - fork in road- bear right, but not up that 14% grade hill!) And what is a fly-over? (An overpass, we found out later) And what is considered a ""fountain""? (It's a small water spigot at a bikers rest stop). However, it was an adventure we won't forget. We learned we needed to have GPS through Google or another mapping/biking program. This would allow us to be more independent and ride self guided as biking with 28 or more people and 2 guides is slow going. The biking is on flat terrain, very easy. However, many days you bike around 30 miles, with many stops for breaks, tours, and sights. It was very warm in early June. Bring lip sunscreen and regular sunscreen!
The Ave Maria is fantastic, our rooms were cozy but totally comfortable. The boat is in mint condition. Food is amazing! Our 2 chefs were top notch. Staff are fun and we really were lucky to have a great group of fellow travelers. Ronnie and Silvia were our guides and they were great. They were very patient, helpful and fun to be with. We had a competition one night, all the 5 groups from different countries did a skit. It was hilarious!!
Also, arriving in Venice by boat at the end of the tour is the best way to go in our opinion. We stayed an extra day in Venice and took water buses to some of the islands. It was cooler there, we saw beautiful places and we used up our 3 day transit pass.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, we had an unforgettable, wonderful trip and are thinking of where to go on our next bike and barge adventure!

Matera, the town where the bike tour started was an unexpectedly positive surprise and experience: breathtakingly beautiful!!

Not only did the scenery make a life long memory, the friendships we made will always be cherished and kept for another trip. Book early for better hotel stays, sometimes the party gets split up into different hotels and all hotels are not the same. The ability to get in the heart of all the different cities is incredible and would not happen if we had rented a car vs biking from city to city, the highlight city was Bolzano Italy, picture perfect, plenty of highlights to see, the best view was biking down in to lake Garda form the steep hill in Riva breath taking views make sure to pack a bottle opener and pick up some wine and cups for the fairy ride ! We cannot wait to plan our next bike tour.

Great trip. Irene was a great guide. She adopted my suggestion that she wait for the stragglers to catch up to the stopped leaders so the stragglers could have a short rest also. Her suggested side tours were great. Our chefs, Samuel and Enrico were great as well. Superb food. First class trip.

The most memorable part was stopping for lunch in a vineyard!

The most memorable part was the chef and guides!!

I returned May 9, 2017 from Italy from the best trip of my life. It started out from a conversation with a retired flight attendant a year ago and became a reality on April 29, 2017 when I had the great pleasure of boarding The Ave Maria from Mantua Italy to Venice Italy. From start to finish it was perfection. The boat was quite accommodating with our 3 bunk cabin, lovely dining room and sun deck to visit with our group of sixteen from Michigan, Nevada, Florida and Texas. The crew of 4 were fantastic and the food was superb. Everyday something different and delicious. The bike riding and touring through the countryside was phenomenal all because our guides Hein and Alain were exceptional. At age 64 I have enjoyed a lot of different destinations, but this trip by far exceeded every expectation I had and I would attribute it all to the fabulous crew and guides. Thank you so very much!

The most memorable part was the guides and crew of the ship - the customer service was OUTSTANDING!!!!!

Outstanding guide, great staff on boat, wonderful food. The beautiful scenery from Bolzano to Mantova was probably the most memorable. Really happy we took the additional 3 days before boarding the barge.

Scenic Coastal ride. The most memorable part was visiting and staying overnight in unique and incredible towns and sites.

I would absolutely recommend this trip. We felt we were very lucky to have Hein as our guide. His insight was wonderful.

The scenery on this trip,while biking, was not memorable or especially unusual which was to be expected given the flatland of our itinerary. I was hoping it would be more dramatic but not surprised that it wasn't. Still I loved being there and next time will consider a more challenging terrain which ought to improve the views. ( ps lunch stop venues need more thought- in general unattractive.)
Memorable: the towns of Mantova and Ferrara were lovely and I enjoyed having time to spend in them , instead of merely riding through. The food was glorious and I felt the staff went the extra mile for us with a few perks and personal attention if needed. Clearly they like their jobs and it showed.

The entire staff was impeccable. They aimed to please and all had wonderful personalities. My only regret was wifi being shut down at 11pm. This was the best time for me to talk to loved ones. Other than that, it was great. Feedback from my group was positive.

No, I wouldn't recommend this trip. The hotels were not in the best areas of the city (even with paying extra for the nicer hotels) and there was much more biking on busy streets with cars than expected.

The scenery on the self guided from Bolzano to Mantua.
The expert guide (Hein ), the food and the staff on the boat.
They all went out of their way to make it a very pleasant experience.
We could not have asked for a better crew.

The most memorable part was the wine tasting along the way!

Everything was memorable from the wonderful cabin to the great gourmet food to the wonderful leader Hein and fabulous staff. The route is scenic and we made stops at interesting places like the Rides Museum, Grano Padana, and the non-bird sanctuary! Loved it and have highly recommended it to friends.

The guide, Hein, was very knowledgeable, entertaining and helpful. A real asset to the trip.
Food on the Ava Maria was the best! Loved the three days from Bolzano through the mountains.

We took the 11 day cycle in Italy and loved it all.
A few things I think need mentioning.
We got lost. Just as one of your reviewers mentioned on the way to Lake Garda. We were doing great and very early to get the boat but at one of the deviations,we turned towards Verona and didn't realize it until half way to Verona. We had to keep looking at the map and book description and when we thought we knew and didn't look at what we were doing, we got lost. So took a train to Verona, lugged the very heavy bikes up the train station stairs, no elevator or escalators there!! Then had to hang the bikes up on hooks on the train. Then the train back up to where we would have been finishing our trip in the boat down Lake Garda. PUCCINCI hotel in Peschiera.I was very disappointed to have missed the ride on lake Garda. So the day that was supposed to be our short day, and we had done 45k before noon, and should have been there, we did over 80K.
I felt that in order to do each days trip on the extra three days, we had to miss lots of towns and sights I wanted to visit. The hotel in Bolzano was very lovely and staff was great.
The hotel in Trento, The Grand, was very very Grand. We just loved it.
The gentleman that was at the front desk in............Peschiera was very helpful and was trying to give us many many things to do until he realized we didn't have the time in one evening, when getting up early to ride, to do too much.
The hotel at the bottom of Lake Guarda, Hotel Peschiera we had a large bedroom.
The breakfast room was in the basement and was quite crowded.
We went for a swim and I asked at the desk about towels for the pool and the woman said to just take the room towels. When I asked for dry towels later for our room she told me they were $5.00 each!!! Never have heard of that ever before.
Our barge was wonderful and as the times we have biked and barged before with other companies, we were very delighted with the delicious meals, friendly crew and outstanding tour guide Lecia. She was so much fun, very professional, had amazing skills in many languages and we all fell in love with her. The rides were so beautiful, just as we expected and the others on board with us were friendly and keen like us.

The breathtaking scenery, cities wine and food of Veneto were the most memorable parts.

The staff on the Ave Maria was fantastic. They made sure we got everything we needed. I liked the way even the captain of the boat helped serve and clean up. They really worked as a team and worked very hard! The food was awesome and I really enjoyed the stops we made and the tours we had.
Great trip!

Bike guides (Michaela & Ronnie) and boat staff ( Erica, Juliano, Enrico and Luciano) were all exceptional. Their care, expertise and concern throughout the trip was what made it exceptional.

The Tour Leader Hein was amazing and showed us a wonderful experience. The cycling was spectacular and the food so exciting and very innovative. The bikes were heavier than I am used to but they were appropriate for the terrain. Everyone was helpful -- fabulous staff. I've already recommended it to my friends. I would do it again, but only if Hein were the Leader.

The trip was superbly put together logistically. Excellent guide. Great accommodations.

Everything was great. I really enjoyed our guides, Tammy and Ronnie. The staff on the boat were great. Our bikes were top notch. The tour and countryside were scenic. I loved biking on the sea wall. I thought the other bikers were friendly and easy to get along with.

This tour was a lovely way to experience the quiet county roads and villages of Italy.

The most awesome trip and staff! The barge was clean and well equipped. The staff was stellar, the meals great, the guided bike rides the best. No room for improvement and I hope to do another Bike and Barge on the Merlin. I especially enjoyed the bike routes, touring small villages along the way, and the guide Lia who was well informed about the area and Germany in general.

The boat, staff and food were all exceptional. A quality operation for sure. Having the owner Pierpaulo stop in for a visit and having dinner together was a nice touch.
We booked this trip for a group of riders with a wide range of abilities and it worked very well for all.