Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 141

It's hard to name a single thing as the trip was great. The crew was so friendly and had a great sense of humor, the food was great and our guide was wonderful. The group of passengers were so fun. The riding was flat and easy. The routes were fairly well planned. A few were on roads with traffic but it tured out ok.
The change in direction of the barge three weeks before the start of the trip was a little challlenging considering we had travel plans made already. I do understand why that happened and it turned out ok. Due to a drop in reservations, they also combined two boats into one but chose to move everyone to the boat with a non working HVAC system. The rooms were hot and they wound up buying fans for the rooms which helped a lot. Despite all of this, it was a great week.

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.

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.

I'd recommend this tour 100%. Well organised and quite luxurious. I was on the Ava Maria and found it very comfortable. Every afternoon on our return to the boat, we would all sit on the top deck with a canopy over (this was July) and were served cold drinks, watermelon and a selection of refreshing fruits. Meals were superb. I'm a novice cyclist but the tour catered for everyone. A flat course, which is why we chose it.

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.

The staff of the Vita Pugna, Michela, Esther, Danilo & Sam were superb!! They ensured our experience was a great one from the fabulous food to the wonderful guiding while cycling.
The weather cooperated for the most part as it was in the latter part of October, but I would suggest if possible to go earlier in the season.

Back on the boat with all of the new friends you had made during the bike ride watching photographs on the big screen of the day you had just experienced.
Our guide, Michaela, made us a cohesive group from the very first night when she said that we must mix and mingle throughout the trip and meet everyone on the barge. She also challenged us to find a secret word somewhere during the day and record it on film

My most memorable part of the trip for me was seeing the beautiful
countryside as we bicycled
along the Poe River. Another highlight was the delicious food prepared by our chef.

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?

The whole 7 day bike/barge trip exceeded expectations in EVERY way! Very professional, helpful and friendly crew; great bikes and accommodation plus simply incredible food. A truly fantastic experience

My wife and I travelled around the world from New Zealand to participate in this bike/barge trip - and that long journey was well worth it! EVERYTHING about the experience was first class and could not be faulted; the tour leader and cooking staff, the on board catering, the accommodation on the Vita Pugna, the e-bikes and the scenery were fabulous - and the two extra aspects to the trip (the weather and our fellow guests!) were also the best!
As a result of the comments above, we will be thoroughly recommending this trip, through Tripsite, to anyone interested in this type of holiday......

The warm companionship of the trip leader and staff on the boat was outstanding as well as the fabulous meals taken from local/seasonal sources. Bikes were kept in top working condition, the trails and tours followed scenic and cultural experiences, and the leader's interaction with the local people made for a most genuine and memorable trip.

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.

I really enjoyed the staff, Sylvia and Barbara and the delicious dinners! They were so cute and fun. Loved the cheese factory, and Antonella was a wonderful tour guide.

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!

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.

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.

The entire trip was great. Have highly recommended it to others!

Our guide (Sylvia) embellished every part of the day, the staff was very friendly, cooperative, accommodating and full of fun...great trip, thanks

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!!

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.

Our 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!

The most memorable part of our Mantova to Venice trip was visiting chioggia, the carnival museum and the cheese factory.

Best part? Riding through small towns that most tourists don’t see...like Bergantino. The small group on the barge.

I 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.

Best part? The wonderful food served everyday