5 Star Mantova to Venice or Venice to Mantova Tour Reviews — 151 to 180 of 273

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.

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.

Most Memorable Part: Bike with friends.

It is difficult to choose just one memorable part of the trip. Each day was filled with a new exciting adventure! Even riding a bike in an unexpected downpour was a fun experience when shared with cycling comrades. Seeking out a delicious gelato in a town square was a favorite activity. Exploring and discovering Italy while biking and barging aboard the Ave Maria was a truly delightful experience. Our crew was very helpful and eager to show us how proud they were of their country and all it has to offer. Pumpkin tortellini eaten at an outdoor restaurant was such an enjoyable eating experience! Grazie Mille for a truly amazing cycling adventure!!

Especially loved the area of the Dolomite Mountains, from Bolzano to Lake Gardia, for the beauty and then arriving in Venice.
Trip was extremely well organized; wonderful crew, special tour guides in Mantova and Venice, good food...and bravo to Vivian and Sonya, excellent guides
The cyclists really got along well so that was an added bonus.
First trip that was guided for us and I was pleasantly surprised. Other trips were self-guided and so was the first part of the trip, from Bolzano to Mantova.
Lack of toilets on the way...

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!

Guides were amazing. They worked hard to make sure all guests mingled with guests from other countries. Games played encouraged teams working together and finding new information about the villages we visited. Always extra surprises..like visiting the mussel fishermen, panoramic vista of Venice from rooftop. Training on how to use ferry system in Venice invaluable. I didn't think we could get a better tour than our 2018 trip, but this one exceeded all expectations. From snow in the mts. near Bolzano to swimming in the Adriatic, the differences in scenery was dramatic and thrilling. Bikes...so comfortable and fit perfectly. Didn't even need to wear my bike padding! Plenty of time to look around when we went thru villages. What can I say. This tour was the best!

Fabulous trip. Filled with adventure. Highlights included guide, staff, food and overall camaraderie developed with a great group of people!

Menu and food prep. much better than other bike and barge/cruises we've been on.

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.

This was our 4th Bike & Barge trip with Tripsite. Our most recent was on the Vita Pugna from Mantova to Venice early May, 2019. We loved our first trip and didn't think it was possible, but somehow, they just keep getting better!
Our guide, Hein, was knowledgeable, friendly, and personable. The staff was wonderful and the dinners were amazing! At each port, they shopped daily for fresh foods and wine, and served us the local specialties of the area. Each night before serving, they described the menu, explained how it was prepared, and paired it with a local wine recommendation.
The cozy, comfortable barge accommodates 20 guests. Even though we represented 6 different countries, there were no differences at all. Everyone was enthusiastic, energetic, fun, friendly and helpful.
The bikes were exceptional and made the rides smooth and comfortable. I usually struggle to keep up, but didn't have any problems this time. The bikes contributed to my ease, and the pace was ideal!
The routes were well planned, the scenery was lovely, the designated stops were interesting, informative and great fun!
Since the boats and owners, countries, food, scenery, cultures and customs are all different, we don't compare trips. We just embrace the differences and look forward to our next (5th) adventure with Tripsite. They're so great to work with and have always made every effort to accommodate their guests.

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 most memorable part of the trip was the gorgeous scenery around Lake Garda. I wish we could have spent more time there, but much of our time was wasted trying to find the boat. The directions definitely need improvement.

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 fabulous 2019 vacation was aboard the Vita Pugna (very clean and comfortable) biking from Mantova to Venice. We were well taken care of by Captain Edoardo, crew/chefs Silvia and Barbara (delicious meals and afternoon snacks plus breakfast!) and our wonderful guide Fabio. I can’t say enough about each one of them, the patience of Fabio is extraordinary. He went above and beyond to make sure each guest was comfortable cycling and informed of routes/plans throughout the week. At the end of the tour he went out of his way to assure that each person knew exactly how to get to their destination when departing the barge. The biking (the bikes were in great shape!) was fun/well organized, the food was outstanding, the landscape/pubs/villages/museum/cheese factory/cappuccino stops, etc. were wonderful. We loved the night walks and the walking tours by local guides. Tripsite provided second to none customer service through our booking process. They were quick to answer any questions/concerns I had, and I love the online chat feature! We are looking at another bike/barge for 2020 and after going through another company a couple of years ago, will only use Tripsite now. Kudos to all and thanks so much for making our 2019 vacation one for the books!

We loved the scenery and it was such a relaxing bike ride we decided to go on our own rather than go with the group with the guide. The green arrow stickers saved us many times. Loved all the small villages on the way and stopped at a few every day for a cappuccino which was excellent. There was a few errors on the routes however we figured them out and pointed the errors to the guides when they occurred.

Despite the crowds and chaos in Trento on day one of our cycling (Bolzano to Trento) due to the Alpine Black Feather military reunion, it is now one of my favourite memories and stories that I share! I also really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful poppies, gardens and farmers fields.
The route guides had some errors and you could tell that they were translated by someone who’s first language is not English but we usually managed to figure things out. We preferred to cycle independently from the group as people rode too slow for us and being clustered together we were concerned about all of us crashing into each other. We loved being able to rendezvous with our guides and the rest of the group for the Carrosel Museum visit, the cheese factory etc.
The staff on the Ave Marie Barge were fabulous, they all worked together, even the Captain helped set the table. The food was excellent and the chef was a real character.
The bikes were excellent, we were provided with a pannier and a box style bag for our handle bars. It wasn’t necessary to bring a small backpack as they like you to remove and carry the bags with you when you lock up your bike.
It was a great vacation and we hope to do another cycling trip in the near future.

Couldn't ask for more. We absolutely loved our bike/barge tour in Italy from Bolzano to Mantova to Venice in August on the Vita Pugna. The staff were fantastic and our guide Michela was amazing. We had a lot of fun, met some great people and visited some very beautiful places. The biking was not difficult. The food on the Barge was first class and plenty of it. Would absolutely recommend this trip. Can't think of the most memorable part of the trip it was all amazing. The first three days was challenging following the instructions, but we got there in the end. Was sorry to say goodbye to everyone.

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

Most Memorable Part? Riding our bikes back to the barge in Venice in a rainstorm. The laughter and camaraderie was priceless.

Ave Maria barge was so very comfortable with wonderful staff & fabulous fresh locally sourced food, beautifully presented.