5 Star Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 268

I really enjoyed the people and exploring a small part of Italy. Our crew was amazing.

I loved being able to experience things I would have never found on my own. Meeting Franco the gondola builder, the cheese factory and the beauty of the river area were fantastic. The crew and food were outstanding. They were all very helpful and friendly and fostered a positive community among the guests. One tip is to bring a twin sheet as there is only a comforter on the bed.

The Bike and Barge on the Ave Maria exceeded my expectations. The boat was very comfortable (twin beds, bathroom for each room). The room had more storage than expected which is good because I overpacked. The food was fantastic from the mushroom risotto to the homemade lasagna and tiramasu. The chef, boat captain and bike guides are extraordinary hard workers and such a pleasure to be around. We can't wait to go on another trip with them. Although I initially thought this was a self-guided tour, it is not. However, I am glad it was guided by Silvia and Caterina...two amazing people that made the trips a lot of fun.

Our bike and barge trip from Venice to Mantova was absolutely outstanding from start to finish. Each day’s ride was beautifully planned, with amazing scenery, charming towns, and just the right balance of activity and relaxation. The daily stops gave us such a rich taste of Italian culture, history, and countryside life.

The food on board was fabulous — fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented — truly a highlight of the trip. Accommodations were excellent, comfortable, and thoughtfully maintained throughout the journey.

Most of all, the guides and entire crew were exceptional. Their knowledge, warmth, and genuine enthusiasm brought everyone together and created such a fun, friendly atmosphere among the group.

This was an unforgettable adventure. It was perfectly organized, wonderfully led, and deeply memorable. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique way to experience Italy!

The crew, the meals, Francesco was an excellent guide.
Accommodation was great.

Wonderful tour. Experienced 3 day self guided portion. Barge crew was great. Georgio was very knowledgeable anout local area. He was an exceptional guide. Felt very comfortable asking questions.

This is the second time we’ve done this trip, so it was all very familiar. Our guide this time, Giorgio, was amazing! He made our various stops so interesting with his stories and all the history he has at his fingertips. The food was excellent on board the Ave Maria. Venice is the highlight, as you might expect. Suggestions for improvement - get a better guide for the walking tour in Mantova. The one we had seemed to think we were art history students. We didn’t get a very good overview of that wonderful city. Also, the Ave Maria should have a simple sheet to hand out when we arrive in Venice giving people explicit instructions about the various ways to get from the boat’s docking location to the airport. I’ve been to Venice 4 times, so I know how to navigate the transportation system, but many on the boat were confused and a bit anxious. All in all, though, this is a great trip and one I would recommend in a heartbeat.

Great crew, very welcoming and helpful. The food was amazing and plenty of it.

Cycling with Sylvia and Francesco! The places they decided to stop and tour-cheese factory, glass blowing in Marano, grandpa distillery… All great experiences. The food on board was fabulous! Chefs did a great job. Boat was orderly, clean comfortable. Would travel with them again in a heartbeat!

This one of the best bike rides we've done in Europe! It was our 7th one and our first guided tour. All the others were self guided. And even though we loved the self guided ones, this was a nice change. The crew on board and the other people on the tour were amazing. It was like we all knew each other forever. The guides were a wealth of information. The chefs on board were over the top. There creations each day were excellent. Never heard anyone complain! We loved all the stops each day and the history they provided about each place. Loved Bolzano too. What a beautiful place. Would like to spend more time there. I could go on about all the things we loved about this trip and look forward to another one with Tripsite! Job well done!!

Swimming in the Adriatic - twice - was a treat enjoyed by most. The first time we were on a public beach and rented an umbrella for shade during the two-hour break. The second time was on a more remote, private beach. People indulged both before and after dinner. It was a welcome relief from the record heat. TIP TO OTHERS: bring beach shoes - that sand can be quite hot on bare feet
THE MOST MEMORABLE - Standing on the top deck as we floated past the Medieval buildings and beautiful people of a city with no cars – Venice. We drank our apertifs and toasted to a splendid trip. TIP TO OTHERS - for women, wearing a casual dress in Venice is really a thing.

This is our third bike, boat, and barge tour. The barge vessels create a cozy and friendly atmosphere with the crew and fellow cyclists. The Vita Pugna crew offers excellent service. The meals were delicious and freshly prepared with regional products from each area we visited. Michaela, the bike leader, was energetic, meticulous, and knowledgeable. We used e-bikes to enjoy the ride; the trail is flat and suitable for regular bikes as well. Everything was clean. The barge could use a cosmetic refresh, but overall, the vessel is great.

Thirteen years ago we took one of our favorite family vacations aboard the Ave Maria from Mantova to Venice. We decided to recreate the trip with (now adult) children and their partners. The only week that worked was in the opposite direction and on the Vita Pugna. Before we knew it, we had other friends and family sign on and we filled 9 of the 10 cabins. As the trip approached we were concerned that the reality would not meet our memories or that a different direction or boat might lessen the experience.

We were thrilled to find out that any such fears were unwarranted. From the moment we boarded the Vita Pugna in Venice until the sad day we departed in Mantova, we had an absolute blast. The boat is not opulent, but very comfortable and well appointed. The food was excellent -- the wonderful Silvia not only made delicious meals every day, but nimbly adjusted to a number of us with different dietary tastes and restrictions. Our pursor/sommelier/captain in training Michele was a joy to be around and will make an outstanding captain soon. The captain, Ricardo (Bugy), was so helpful and fun and we thoroughly enjoyed interacting with him. And Giorgio, our fearless leader and guide, was funny, informative, patient, experienced and a pure joy to be around. The entire crew spent an enormous amount of time helping us to enjoy our trip.

The trip was simply fantastic.

I loved the small family-like atmosphere of the boat. I also loved the built in guided tours.

food, the crew, the bike leaders, both. the boat was very nice. Perfect again!!

I most appreciated the small group experience. there were only 18 on our tour and it was perfect. Our group of 6 booked a year ago so we could get a spot on the Vita Pugna and I was very happy with it. I cannot imagine have a group bigger group, perhaps 30 and I think that would have slowed down our progress on the bikes immensely. This size group I felt like we all had the opportunity to meet others, enjoy the company of different people each meal, but also got to know them a little bit. I was also very happy with the support and service of all of the staff (Capt Bugie, Silvia, Michael and Hugo)

Great staff, incredible food, comfortable boat, and a great tour with fun and memorable stops such as glass factory, cheese factory, grappa wine tasting, and a carousel tour - so much fun with a great group of people!

Great company. Excellent guide in Hugo. Very knowledgable passionate..Great food excellent staff

Excellent route, amazing view. Quite a wonderful adventure in discovering beautiful parts of Italy.

We had perfect weather. The chef prepared great meals. The course had a variety of biking areas even though we had a number of closed roads and even a broken lock for the boat. The staff quickly developed alternatives to the original course.

The trip was made more enjoyable by having a great tour guide, Hein. His local knowledge of history, culture and traffic patterns proved to be invaluable. The boat staff overall were also very accommodating and the food preparation superb. Even when we had a slight water leak in our cabin during overnight heavy rain, the crew expressed concern and responded quickly to the issue. Some suggestions for future tours include: 1) Providing name tags for the guests on the first day 2) Look into ways to improve the air flow within the cabins.

Overall we could recommend this tour and look forward to our next adventure.

Great Trip!!
Amazing leaders on the barge.
Would suggest everyone to take
this trip. Venice to Mantova.

The crew were amazing how they worked together and made everything flawless.

Loved the whole trip. It is not just a bike & barge tour. Time to tour the cities you stop at is provided.
We did end up with a rainy afternoon, but the tour was flexible enough to work around this.
The crew were wonderful.

It was a wonderful trip! It was the perfect mix of biking, sightseeing, walking tours and fabulous food. The staff was helpful and personable. The cabins were small so we were glad we packed light. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for a relaxing and fun vacation.

Easily the people. The staff were so knowledgeable and friendly I felt like I was part of a family vacation. I have never traveled abroad before and the personal connection with the group that the staff displayed made things go smoothly no matter where we were.

It’s hard to pick just one thing that made this trip outstanding - the food was outstanding- better than I had at restaurants in Venice and Florence - and they accommodated my vegan diet. Biking, touring, and dining with people from all over with an entertaining and knowledgeable guide and crew was just the best. The scenery was beautiful and the little side tours, including to a grappa winery and cheese producer to break up the day were so much fun. A great combination of touring and biking.

We loved our bike and barge trip from Venice to Mantova. The guides were helpful and friendly, the barge was extremely comfortable, the chefs were masterful and the scenery was gorgeous! It was one of the best bike and barge experiences we've had.

We had the best of many worlds on our trip. Patient, helpful and friendly guides; outstanding chefs; competent and patient captain and crew. The scenery was gorgeous and we especially loved the areas around Venice and Murano. Our cabin was super clean and comfortable. And our fellow travelers were so easy to be with. We noticed the shower was actually the biggest shower we used during our three weeks in Italy! A little rain towards the end of the trip, but nothing anyone can do about that.

The fun interaction with all the other people on the barge. Also, the fantastic guides and crew - all were great. Food terrific as evidenced by the 5 lbs. I gained!
While the terrain was flat, there was a couple of days when we had gravel and tree roots which made the going a little tougher and hard on the butt and lower back. An additional cushioned seat cover would have helped. Many people had Emile’s which were helpful over the rougher terrain. I never thought I would need one but I am almost 85 and have a broken down lower back. I really struggled on the second day when we did 50 km and some lengthy rough patches. People with e-bikes felt they were very good bikes, heavier than a regular bike but expected. The regular bikes were excellent other than a little more cushioning would help. The scenery along the way is not very interesting.
but earlier reviews mentioned that. It’s more about the fun of the group. This is likely my last bike trip but it was a great one. All of the bike & barge trips are terrific.