4 Star Italy Tour Reviews — 31 to 60 of 99

4.7 out of 5

 


Gary M.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

For me, the most memorable parts of the trip were the moments our trip guide, Hein, stopped, got us off our bikes and took time to do some interpretation of the landscape, or when he brought us to little known local places. One example was a local museum for traveling entertainers and amusements. In the states we would call this a circus museum. Hein described life for us in the walled and protected castles and the city-states of Italy before there was an Italy, and the power of the family heads in the se little kingdoms. He took us on a tour of one of those castles that is not generally open to the public. I also appreciated the 90-minute guided tours by Christina in Mantova and her counterpart in Venice. Passionate about the cities that they call home, they both really brought these special places to life for me.
Not to overlook the moderate exercise we got on bikes everyday, which was helpful because the delicious food our crew served was difficult to turn down. I would have Read More

Ward A.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Crew was amazing. Everyone helpful. 30 person biking too big. Suggest it be split into 2 15 person groups.

Linda N.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The most memorable part of the trip was time aboard the Ave Maria. The crew made every effort to make sure all our needs were met, suggested places to visit that you wouldn’t find in guide books, fed us the most delicious local foods prepared from ingredients found that day and recipes from their grandmothers, their creativity and their obvious joy in cooking. I can still taste the lasagna with squash flowers! The other passengers were all fascinating people as well, all very experienced travelers and bikers. The thing I want others to know is that some parts of the trip, especially leaving Chioggio and Ferrara, we’re on busy roads with cars whizzing by you and crossing roundabouts and corners, and that even on the low traffic, one lane roads, you’ll frequently hear “car up” or “car back”. There were times when you could not enjoy the scenery because you had to watch for potholes and negotiate gravel. We bike on an at least weekly basis but Read More

Margaret Jay B.
1 year ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Lovely route, wonderful guides, comfortable accommodations. Absolutely superb food!

Bring your own water bottle - despite the tripsite literature, one is not provided

Rita P.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Matera to Lecce
Italy

We really enjoyed the small group of 11 guided experience. The accommodations and dinners included were exceptional nice.

We found the biking experience challenging—not the number of miles, but the condition of the paths. We were often on abandoned, bumpy, poorly kept roads or busy roads. Rarely were we on a bike path.

My e-bike had structural defects that held the battery to the frame and no front shock absorbers.

Our guide Suzanna was very fun, friendly and accommodating to our group!

Dick S.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The food was outstanding! Great chefs. Amazing how hard our small crew worked to provide everything needed. All ran smoothly. Michaela was an outstanding leader. We were disappointed in the lack of coordination between the leader and the bikers as we ride. Corners were not posted at turns; some ended up going the wrong way, and we spent time finding them. Fortunately one person in the “lost” group was able to call our leader. There should always be arrangements for a “sweep” with phone communication to the guide.
Coming home, the pack with the trip literature was stolen. I would like to get another copy of that excellent information. How?

Nancy P.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The food on the trip was excellent. We enjoyed the local fare, the wine pairings from the various regions .
The crew work very hard to deliver a positive experience . Helmut was a great guide offering lots of information about the different places we stopped at. We loved the cheese factory tour and tasting

Laurie H.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

What a wonderful mix of larger cities and small villages and towns that we would never have been able to locate on our own . An opportunity to enjoy both Venice and all its treasures while staying on the barge in beautiful, quiet Giudecca with it's charm of churches and artisan craftmanship . The biking along the Po River nature reserve was beautiful and a reminder of how important it is to care for our environment. Mantova along with other stops were charming with guides who shared their expertise of cities. The guides and staff on the Ava Maria did an admirable job of following the itinerary and keeping everyone safe, The chefs and dining staff served Italian local dinners that were the best I have eaten and a breakfast that appealed to all. Despite Italy being in a heat wave we were still able to enjoy the beauty of Italy.

Kerry l.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Puglia Food & Wine
Italy

Fantastic group of riders from all over the world..ride from Lecce to Otranto was simply the best
Breakfast and dinners were very well organized
Would like to have seen more snacks during the day and more visits bt the support van
Should also consider an additional guide for the back of the group…cycling pace was very slow at times

Steven M.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Florence to Rome - Self Guided
Italy

Had a wonderful time cycling the Florence to Rome self guided tour. Stayed in beautiful little historic towns along the way with lots to see and do. The food and wines were absolutely delicious. The hotels were friendly, accommodating and provided a great breakfast to start the day. Most importantly, the navigation app was easy to use and provided worry free navigation while cycling through bike friendly routes.

Maria F.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

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.

Robin P.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

I most enjoyed the first three rides of the tour from Bolzano to Mantova, the scenery was amazing.

Ali B.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Bolzano to Verona
Italy

Hotels were pleasant. Well organized tour.

Ambrose M.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Venice to Poreč
Italy, Slovenia, Croatia

Overall very enjoyable. There was however a big discrepancy between some of the accommodation eg Neptune Hotel was superb while the hotel in Porec didn’t have an elevator. Some of the bedrooms were very spacious and others were very very cramped.

Tracy R.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Enjoyed everyone on the boat, great staff and food. Good bikes, some of the paths and roads were a bit on the rough side.

Yael N.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Umbria
Italy

Overall the trip was a great success.
The accommodations were fine. All clean and well kept. Air conditioning did not always work properly.
Bikes were in great condition throughout the entire trip.
Suggestions: we took road bikes for the trip and followed routes for these bikes yet several locations were very uncomfortable for riding. Roads with lots of potholes and gravel not meant for road bikes.
Overall experience was very positive and the company's organiztion was great.

Jim P.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Innsbruck to Bolzano
Austria, Italy

The scenery was incredible. The bike paths are well maintained and made for an easy trip. My only suggestion is to have the hotel in Bolzano closer to town. It was pretty far from downtown however the people were very pleasant. Luggage was late a couple of times. One was due to car trouble. Can't predict that.

Amber E.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Brenner Pass to Venice
Austria, Italy

The scenery was incredible

Cynthia A K.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Scenery riding on the bike. Sunrise and sunset. The staff were amazing and the food delicious. The staff went above and beyond to handle special requests.
Disappointed the AC didn’t work and the room was between 75-77 F at all times. The WiFi rarely worked. The staff did get fans for some of the rooms. With the rooms being so hot and no option to have laundry done other than in the sink, things took days to dry.
Thirty people riding as one group is too many.

Ruth B.
2 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Overall, the scenery was pretty-perhaps a trip in the summer would have been more brilliant. I would suggest bringing your own helmet or the boat supply appropriate helmets.

Michael b.
3 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Sardinia: Culinary Delights E-Bike Tour
Italy

The excellent guides scenery and food. My only suggestion if the trip is full of North Americans that the suppers start and end earlier. Going to bed at 11 after just finishing a large meat supper is hard on my gut.

Nelson P.
4 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Venice to Florence
Italy

It was my 4th trip with Tripsite. There are some points I would like to mention- 1) Actually the company was Eurobike. No problem but I think I should know before. The others trips were with local company. Eurobike clients have an app with the route 2) The bikes wasn't so good 3) In others trips you offered me to rent helmet. In this trip nobody offered and I supposed there were helmets to rent. But Eurobike doesn't rent helmets. So I should bought. Since I doesn't have space in my luggage I let 2 helmets (mine and my wife) in the last hotel 3) The beginning of the Journey in Mestre was very difficult to find the route.
Well apart from this 3 points the trip was Ok. I am wondering in my next trip If I am going with you or with Eurobike directly.

Charlotte S.
4 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

Being in Venice, great dinners, excellent staff, incredibly good background material and maps (wish we got this before the trip so we could have been better prepared). We would have appreciated “corners” and a “sweep” when biking.

Tina C.
4 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

I truly enjoyed this tour that included daily rides through the picturesque Italian countryside. Each day we biked through a variety of landscapes, stopping in small towns along the way for cappuccino breaks, lunch and local tours. The bike tour staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The boat crew was equally as wonderful, preparing wonderful meals each evening and serving them with a smile. Everyone bent over backwards to make this a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
As for suggestions, I think the last leg from Pellestrina Island to Venice could be improved. The morning was wasted in a small town that was not really open for business. Why not take an earlier Ferry to Lido and spend more time there before heading to Venice?

Matthew B.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Vita Pugna Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova
Italy

The Crew on the boat (Captain Eduardo, Sylvia, & Barb) and our biking guide Antonella were all PHENOMENAL. The service and the food are first class.

Maria Luiza L.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Sicily - Syracuse, Noto Valley, & Baroque Villages
Italy

The cities of Noto, Syracuse, and Modica. The architecture, atmosphere, and food...

Neil M.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Venice to Florence - old version
Italy

We loved the small roads and bike paths often used to take us in to the villages. The accommodations were well placed in the towns with easy access to restaurants.
Most memorable was the last day (finding the climb quite the challenge ) but the exhilarating run down worth it .

To mention more signage in busy areas would be appreciated to put one at ease.

Rachel F.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

The best part was the first three days self-guided tour near the Dolomites on our 10 day tour.

Terry W.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

  Ave Maria Bolzano-Mantova-Venice
Italy

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.

Rosana S.
5 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Lake Garda & the Adige River
Italy

The 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!